


Something Just Like This

by BluBooThalassophile



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Teen Titans - All Media Types, Under the Red Hood, Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family, Fluff and Angst, Romance, prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-03 19:52:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 78,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10256474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluBooThalassophile/pseuds/BluBooThalassophile
Summary: Collection of one shots





	1. 1. Getting Lost Somewhere

**Getting Lost Somewhere…**

 

Cracking an eye open he immediately shut it and tried to keep himself from freaking out.

He'd taken a hit for Kori, a blast of magic or something; he didn't know, however, he did know he was not on earth anymore and this wasn't a place of his mind's design. If the… whatever that hit him, had meant to induce his hell then they got it way wrong.

His nightmares were of a drunk beating him as he defended his battered mother. His nightmares were of drugs taking his mother soaring, she soared so high she left him behind, forgot him and left him. His nightmares were of the cold, the brutality, and the cruelty he was accustomed to; but it wasn't hell, no, it was a hellish heaven. His nightmares were of a woman who had birthed him, who he so desperately wanted to have love him and she handed him over to his demons. And he could handle the nightmares, it was the his demons which could scare him. His demons wore clown make up, smiled and laughed, and cackled, they also beat him with a crowbar and then left him, alone, cold, bleeding and broken. But through the nightmares and the fighting of his demons he hadn't felt fear, at least not until he glanced at a red digital clock and fear swelled up in him with a realization he was going to die. But death didn't scare him, not even close to the scariest thing there was, fire didn't scare him either. But still, his fear was born and he feared _**that**_ fire, that particular burning, raging, surging fire with a force so powerful it broke an already broken body. His fear brought him to his hell and his hell was a coffin, six feet under, when he was bleeding, broken, running out of air, and scared. His hell was swimming up through mud, feeling the bugs and rocks in his hands and sliding into his cloths. His hell was small, dark, lonely, and no one could hear him. That was his hell; at least, it was one of them.

So with that in mind, this couldn't possibly be his hell.

Which was why he was keeping his eyes closed and focusing on breathing, breathing through the pain, the fear and the panic which were threatening to overwhelm him.

Once he was certain that if he opened his eyes he wasn't going to curl up into a panicky screaming ball of fears and memories he opened his eyes and looked around.

Yup, this wasn't his hell. Slowly he winced as he sat up and rubbed his chest. Everything in him was on fire as he looked around at the eerie world he was in.

It definitely wasn't earth or a world he immediately recognized as he slowly stood. Shaking his head he looked around and noticed all the moving shadows, which had him pulling his weapon and a lighter for some light. These shadows, though dark, were not pitch black and blinding him; shockingly enough. And there was a blue tint to them as if they were alive in some way.

He left the shadows alone though as he lifted his lighter and looked around. Fuck, he was lost, and there was no clear path as to where to go. Pulling out the communicator Kori had given him when they had been a team, he looked for a signal.

There was nothing.

Sighing he dropped the communicator back into his pocket before he decided to start walking, there were low growls and vibrations that he could feel which had him thinking to move now rather than be eaten. Being eaten would be counterproductive to his living again.

For how long he walked he didn't know, he felt like he was getting even more lost as he went, but he just followed the shadows. From the screams, and the sounds of fire and pain he knew he was in a hell, which was all the more reason for him to keep moving. Wherever he was, it reminded him of Apokolips, not a place he particularly wanted to go, but this place held the same painful, hellish environment. There was a black bird perched on a rock when he finally had to stop.

Hissing through his teeth he moved his armor a bit to examine his ribs. Good news, they weren't broken by whatever had hit him, bad news, they were possibly cracked and definitely bruised. Groaning he slid to the ground as he stared up at the black bird, it kind of reminded him of a raven.

"Well, looks like I'm lost," he wryly commented to the bird. It kind of reminded him of a little bird he had known before she had…

Pulling out a cigarette he lit it and took a shaky breath of the sweet nicotine and let it sooth him as it dulled the edge on his nerves, hunger, exhaustion, and pain. Looking at the red eyed bird he chuckled; it was sad when every raven reminded him of that little bird. Border lining pathetic. Especially when he'd never really known her. His brothers had known her really well, he hadn't, and he hadn't wanted too, at least not until she was gone.

It was hours later, after resting when he snapped to alertness and leveled his gun to the shadows.

"Who's there?"

"Lost?" a monotonous voice asked him which had him turning as he looked at the shadows coming to life. It was like she was made of shadows herself as she stepped towards him.

His voice was gone as he slowly nodded and got to his feet. It'd been years since anyone had seen her. She had brought them to hell and defeated Trigon, sealing her father away but when it was time to return she had stayed behind. And here she was, standing there a little older, more tired, but the same, her slight form slimmer, and her black hair messily tangled around her face as the angry red gem rested on her ashen brow. Her tattered black cloak swirled around her as she floated there, looking him over.

"You're bigger than I remember," Raven suddenly said.

"It's been a while," he said in a tight voice.

"I see," she said sadly. "This way, I can create a portal to send you back."

"How is everyone?" she asked as she walked beside him, guiding the way.

"The Titans disbanded," he informed her. "I died, Kori's Queen of Tamaran, Dick's her fiancé, Garfield works for the League last I heard, and Cyborg is off the grid."

"I miss them," she murmured.

He nodded, he might not have been on the original team, but he knew that the original five Titans had been close, at least until Raven stayed in Hell to guard her father and keep him sealed away so he couldn't destroy the earth or the multiverse.

"You're alive," she said suddenly.

"Complicated, but yeah, I died shortly after Trigon," he shrugged.

"I am sorry, you did not deserve to die," she murmured monotonously. He chuckled.

"Shit happens, and you can't tell me I didn't drive all of you batshit crazy when I stole Dick's suit," he chuckled. She softened.

"You did," she mused. "Why are you here?"

"Uh… I may have intercepted a spell or something and I was put here," he shrugged. There was no need to go into his heroics about shoving Kori; who was in the beginning of her first pregnancy, and he only knew about her pregnancy because he'd been the one to find her panicking. She was going to tell Dick about the pregnancy the day he got blasted; but it was why he had shoved out of the way, and taking the hit as the Bats scrambled. Jason didn't mind taking the hit, Kori and Dick deserved happiness, and he happened to like Kori for a sister-in-law-to-be.

"Why?"

"Kori's pregnant, first kid, she and Dick are engaged, it doesn't seem right for all their happiness and future to die because of a pissed off magician," he shrugged.

"I'm happy for them, and I'm sorry you came here," Raven smiled that ghost smile of hers.

"'S'not the first time I've gone to hell, and likely won't be the last," he shrugged, and regretted the action because of the pain his ribs were in. Raven stopped, her hands were glowing white and she pressed them on his chest he gasped, she said nothing and he felt his ribs start to heal. It could have been seconds, it could have been hours, but she finally with drew her hands and he stared down at bright, but dark, ornate orbs.

"Thank you," he murmured.

"It's been a long time since I've felt anything besides pain," she smiled softly and he frowned not understanding what she was saying. "Thank you for this."

"For what?"

"For something other than pain, it feels nice," she murmured. Then it clicked, what he had forgotten about Raven, she was an empath. Jason didn't know what to say to that, even he could feel the pain and misery of this place and it was hell. He could only imagine what it was to an empath.

"We're here," she said finally as she stopped above a fiery pit. Jason looked around at nothing special and Raven held up her hand, he watched as the purple portal opened.

"Thanks angel," he smiled, then he stopped as he turned on her. She folded her arms and stepped away from him, hunching in on herself.

"You could come," he pointed out.

"Someone has to be here, watching him, of every second of every day, it's my responsibility," she said softly.

"I could stay," he offered.

"Go Jason, this is not a place to stay," she murmured with a smile. "Thank you though, for the kindness."

"Raven…" he reached to pull her after him.

"Go, and please, don't tell them about me, take care of Kori and Dick, and help with their baby, please look after Gar, and when you have a chance, could you track Victor down and tell him I'm sorry and that I love him and I miss him," she said softly.

"Uh…"

"It's for the best they don't know I'm alive," she whispered. "And since they can't know, don't tell Victor any of that, just… can you be there for him, he's like a brother to me, I don't want him alone."

"Sure," he sighed.

"Good," she smiled. There was a snarl and a rumble behind her. "Now go!"

She shoved him back with her magic, her tattered cloak flying out as she flew up and he fell through the portal seeing Raven fighting demons. Jason screamed for her, but the portal was gone as he hit the grass and fell back on his back with a thud.

Sitting up he stared at where the portal should have been, it was gone. Groaning he fell back and rubbed his face.

Getting lost somewhere had never sucked so much

Standing he noticed that he was at the Manor, stumbling to his feet he walked to the door, and knocked. It was opened by Alfrid who gaped at him.

"Master Jason!" the man gasped.

"Hey Alfie, the other's back yet?" he asked.

"Jason!" a voice shouted, he looked over and stared at a heavily pregnant Tamaranian flying at him.

"Ack!" he grunted when Kori slammed into him.

"Where Have You Been! You Vanished Four Months Ago!" she shouted at him as she grabbed his ear.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!" he gasped.

"Kori! Let him… Jason!" Dick shouted and Jason found himself being tackled by an octopus then. "You're back! You're back! You're back! You're back! I Told You He Wasn't Dead!" Dick shouted.

"Great, will you get off me!" Jason shouted as he shoved Dick off him.

"Where were you!?" Tim demanded stalking to him.

"Wouldn't believe me even if I told you," he stated firmly; and he didn't want to think about how he'd been gone a day and it'd been four months here.

"I see you are back Todd," Damian sneered.

"Not getting rid of me that easily shorty," he growled. The prince glared at him.

"Jason!" Bruce appeared and Jason was startled when the older man moved and yanked him into a hug.

"What the hell! I haven't been gone that long! Let me go!" he shouted as he tried to escape his crowding family.

"Four months, Jason!" Kori rebuked.

"Four. Months.?" He repeated slowly as it sunk in.

"Yes, where were you?" Dick asked.

"Getting lost somewhere," he muttered as he looked at Alfred.

"Alfie, I'm starved, want help in the kitchen?" he asked.

"Certainly Master Jason," Alfred smiled and Jason walked past them all to the kitchen.

"I was really gone four months?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Dead for a year and I don't that welcome, gone for a day and they can't leave me alone," he muttered to himself.

Purple orbs flew to the forefront of his mind and he remembered a good thing that came from getting lost in hell. Occasionally you got to meet an angel.


	2. 2. Pet Names

**Pet Names…**

 

She didn't do pet names, or nicknames, she never understood the appeal or the need to be called something else. And though she let her teammates and friends get away with calling her Rae, she did not tolerate anything else really. The one time Adonis had called her babe, she'd put him in the hospital; in the intensive care unit to be precise.

Pet names, cat calls, and nicknames were something which peeved her greatly.

Then there was Jason Todd, and he seemed to never call her by her name. It used to drive her nuts! But now, well, Jason had explained every nickname and pet name he'd ever given her and it was hard to be offended by them now. She still wanted to blast him into another dimension, but she learned to live with the pet names.

He first called her Sunshine when he'd been Red X, apparently, he hadn't said it as an insult to her 'gloomy' demeanor or appearance. He'd called her Sunshine because she had given him hope, and light; apparently. Raven didn't know if this were true, but she had felt sincerity in his explanation of the pet name, so she let him get away with calling her Sunshine.

When the Red Hood had come about he'd started calling her Little Bird, which was baffling and slightly insulting to her. At least it was until he pointed out she was the smallest one on the team and she was named after a bird. She let him get away with that one, especially after he saw her tat, in exchange he was sworn to secrecy on the tat. She did not need the team knowing about her tattoo.

Their first encounter as Jason Todd and Rachel Roth was at a Wayne Enterprises charity ball, he'd called her Princess. Raven had been furious with him, especially after the Princess of Hell joke she'd heard earlier that day from Adonis. If she hadn't been Rachel Roth at the time, she'd have annihilated him. Then he said she held and conducted herself like royalty, she was a princess. She ended up letting him get away with that one too.

The first time he ever called her Gorgeous she was trying to ditch Adonis who had cornered her on the street (whatever chemicals had brought out Garfield's inner beast, and made Adonis that monster still affected Adonis greatly and she was usually his target). Jason had jogged up, and said 'Hey Gorgeous, been waiting, ready for the date?' and he had kissed her. Raven hated to admit it but she rather liked being called Gorgeous and getting that kiss as Jason herded her off before she could kill Adonis.

He called her Angel the first time ever after he'd taken six bullets and was in the I.C.U. at Gotham General, she wanted to strangle him. They were semi-dating, testing the waters after he had saved her from Adonis, and he went and got himself shot six times saving Dick. If she wasn't so mad at him for getting shot and making her worry, she'd have been proud that he had saved his brother who he still denied being his brother. After he got out of the hospital he only called her Angel when he did something which landed him in the hospital, and on her shit list.

He called her Love when he had introduced her to Alfred; who was the only Wayne family member who's opinion truly mattered to Jason. She'd been so shocked at him calling her Love she'd been muted as she smiled politely at Alfred and shook the butler's hand. That afternoon she let him get away with the pet name because she liked it, later she asked about it and he said it was something he'd picked up from Alfred, she sensed there was something he wasn't telling her about the pet name but let it slide because she liked it.

The first time he called her Dear was when she cooked in his apartment; he had left her to fend for herself for a week and she was tired of microwave dinners. Needless to say, he only called her Dear when he was crossed with her; or she destroyed his kitchen or garage, his two sacred domains wherever he was living. If she heard him call her Dear she took the warning for a fight, so she let the pet name slide again.

Honey was the best warning system she could ever possess, and she only let him call her Honey as a warning to her. The first time he'd ever said it they'd been at a bank in Gotham, she'd had her nose buried in a book, and waiting in line to deposit her pay check. He'd said Honey and she'd looked up in time to see Assassins coming through the ceiling windows, he grabbed her as she threw up a shield around the civilians and dove under the table. Honey became a warning system really fast between them.

He first whispered Beautiful in her ear her first time. Jason had whispered the name against her skin as she let him have her innocence, and he called her Beautiful frequently whenever they were together. She also liked that pet name for no one had ever called her Beautiful before, and he whispered it like a prayer.

He called her Demon, and Witch when she went about seducing him. Horrible insults said as if they were the highest of praises, she loved that. She loved that, for only he could make what she really was sound like a wonderful blessing and she grateful to him for it. No, she was not fond of the pet names, but she was fond of when and how he used them, they made her feel cared for and special.

He only ever called her Ma'am when they were on missions together and the coms were open, Raven didn't like it for it was far too serious for Jason Todd, the devil-may-care, reckless, devious, dangerous Robin. He only called her Ma'am though so the team or whoever was around did not think less of her, and she understood it. He made it a challenge to the Titans and the League, as if daring them to think less of her, so she accepted being called Ma'am when they worked together. She was the only one he called Ma'am too, not even the Oracle got the name from him.

The first time he called her Dame was when they had run into one another at a bar. If she hadn't happened to know Jason was just being Jason she'd have slugged him for that one, especially the low whistle he gave her. However, when he swept her up into a dance in a dive bar to a cheap jukebox playing something old and slow, she let him get away with it. Especially when an old guy at the bar said Jason was a fine young gentleman.

The first time he ever called her Lady it was when he was half asleep and they had run into one another at the grocery store. She ended up breaking a wine bottle on him and his white shirt, he was annoyed, and she was in a fit of giggles at his expression. He now only called her Lady when she screwed up the laundry or managed to spill something on him; so he rarely called her Lady.

He called her Rae the one day Bruce, Dick and Damian caught her and Jason at a café on a date. Jason and she'd been together quietly at this point for a few years, and though she often worked with the Bat family, and she was good friends with Dick and Damian, her personal life had stayed personal. Of course Victor knew about her and Jason, Jason had gone to Victor to get official approval to date her, so he knew her family. However, despite her friendship with his brothers, her work relationship with the Bats, and having introduced her to Alfred as his girlfriend, he hadn't bothered to introduce her to his father or family as his girlfriend. Needless to say, Bruce had been shocked and she'd been embarrassed as Dick and Damian interrogated Jason about their relationship; Tim's interrogation came that night after Bruce had all but ordered Jason and her to the Manor for family dinner. Raven knew things were awkward for him when he called her Rae, so she let this pet name be as well.

The day called her Baby was a day she'd been attacked by her brothers and was half dead, he'd been crying over her, after just about killing everything in his wake. She remembered how he held her and called her Baby, how he had cried and pleaded with her not to die, she hadn't possessed the energy to tell him she didn't die in the traditional sense before the world turned black and vanished on her. She woke six weeks later, in Gotham to find Jason asleep at her side, and Victor in the corner, the Titans and Bat family visited her sporadically, though she suspected the Bat clan only came to make sure Jason was alright. He called her Baby the entire time in the hospital, she let it go because the pain meds made her loopy.

The first time he called her His Girl, was when he was yelling at Sebastian Blood as she was about to be wed against her will; stupid trance she'd been in she hadn't been able to fight Blood. No one had been able to stop him, and everyone in the League and Titans now knew then she was Jason's girlfriend. His attacks were relentless as he systematically ripped apart the Church of Blood to recover her. Raven had never been more relieved to see him than when he came into the church guns ablaze and his Red Hood on. After the spell on her was finally broken, and she could breathe and move on her own she had clung to Jason as she fought her turbulent emotions back into place to keep from destroying the Batcave. The entire time he kept whispering how she was His Girl, and she wasn't leaving him. Never had she been happy to hear him calling her something other than her name than then, she hated thinking of how close she'd come to losing him because of her stupidity and a binding spell robbing her of herself. She'd never been happier to be his.

Yes, Jason loved calling her pet names, and nicknames, and Raven let him get away with it because when he called her by her name it was all the more precious.

She managed to collect a few pet names for him as well.

She called him Red when they were on missions, it was easier for her since he was both Red X from her youth, and Red Hood now. He rather liked it and she could call him Red in public without sounding odd. She also called him Jay, he seemed to like that one, and she found it a fun change. His family called him Jaybird, the one time she did he'd been so startled he'd walked into a lamp post, he let her call him that from then on and she just smiled. She was also the only one to call him Handsome, she'd picked that one after he started teasing her and then it just came naturally, he also really liked that one. Mostly though she called him Jason.

Raven liked Jason's name, she liked how it fit him and how it sounded. He told her once he loved it when she said his name, his real name was sacred to him after all the aliases and names he went through. Raven made it a point to call him Jason often and to savor his name. Just as he would say her name like it were the most valued thing in the world.

All the pet names were codes, were extra; and from anyone not her family, they were loathed.

Jason only got away with it because when he said her name it was special and it reminded her how real this thing between her and Jason was.


	3. 3. Patching Each Other Up

**Patching Each Other Up…**

 

Collecting holes and other assortment of wounds was a normal occurrence for him, he'd taken everything from a cut to death, how much worse could it possible get!? It wasn't like it was new to him, far from it. The only new thing was that Raven was with him, and she looked way worse than he felt.

How'd they get here?

Well, he'd tell you. He'd managed to talk his girlfriend of six months into taking a break with him, a vacation of sorts; no he wasn't calling it a vacation! He wasn't going to turn into a couple sap of a guy, it was not happening, and also, he and Raven had the biggest commitment issues which was why they worked together. Also, they'd been going about this thing between them slowly, he wasn't willing to get betrayed again, and she wasn't willing to put her heart on the line. However, they worked, and they were good together, she made him laugh and feel safe, and the sex was fucking amazing.

So, how'd he get here, applying pressure to his demon semi-girlfriend's side?

Simple, even on a fucking break he couldn't seem to escape the League of Assassins and they'd blown up the hotel; and he knew it was them because he had seen Talia fucking al Guhl sauntering down the hall as he made his way to his room where Raven was. He'd come running into their room, shouted for Raven who stepped out of the shower looking thoroughly confused. Then… BOOM!

"Raven, Rae, come on sunshine, look at me!" he pleaded with his Raven, she hummed as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Ow," she mumbled.

"You're going to be alright, you're going to be okay," he chanted to himself as he looked about the cavern of rubble he was surrounded by and felt his heart sinking; the thought of not again floated through his mind. Her blood was soaking his hands, and he desperately looked around for a clotting agent or a one of his guns for bullets, nothing. He needed to leave her to look, but he couldn't release the wound unless he wanted her bleeding out.

"Kay, this is going to hurt, a lot, but I need you to trust me," he said as the ideas flooded him.

"Trust you, cold," she slurred. He took that as consent as he gingerly leaned over her and pressed his lips to her brow. He hoped to God that this worked, he moved fast the moment he yanked his hands away from the gaping hole in her side. dark blood poured from it as he ripped off his jacket, yanked his shirt off, grabbed her towel and tried to make a compress bandage as he yanked off his belt and secured his patch job on her side. she was so tiny, it scared him as he gingerly lifted and maneuvered her into his jacket.

"I'm not leaving, but I have to look for something to help close up that wound," he said as he moved her black hair away from her brow.

"'S'fine," she mumbled. "Stay."

"No baby, I need to get help, and supplies to help you," he whispered.

"Kay, don le've," she muttered and then her eyes rolled back in her head as her eyes fluttered shut. Shit! He pressed his fingers to her pulse, relieved to feel it there, faint and steady. Scrambling to his feet he ignored the pain in his thigh and calf as he started looking through the debris of what had once been a nice hotel n London.

Jason looked around for what he wanted and he found a gun, now he needed a lighter, which was missing off his person for some reason, however he didn't slow as he searched. It was going to hurt, but he figured her being a demon would up her odds of surviving this. Finding what he sought he checked it before he ran back to Raven, he felt his own blood sliding down his leg, he looked down at Raven's paler form and winced.

This was going to hurt, it was probably a good thing she was passed out.

He worked as fast as he could without causing more harm than good, though this was painful either way. When he was don't the bleeding had significantly reduced, and Raven didn't even moan in pain. Panicked at that realization he pressed his fingers to her throat and felt her steady, but faint pulse, still stubbornly beating away. The relief of feeling that was monumental as he sat back, wincing at his own bruises and cuts.

"Bombing fucking suck, if you're not doing them," he muttered as he picked up a piece of metal and started making noise for the rescuers.

The panic he felt welling up in him at being buried alive again was coming in full raging force now that he didn't have a task to focus on. He felt himself trembling and the fear welling up as he tried not to scream and start clawing his way through the rubble. Everything was too small, everything too tight, there wasn't enough air to breath, there wasn't enough room to think it was too dark and his mind was deteriorating as he continued to rhythmically bang away to alert someone; anyone to his and Raven's presence.

"Please, please, please," he chanted, he wanted to get out of her.

"Jason," Raven's tired voice had him whirling around on her.

"Rae!" he dropped the pipe as he scrambled back over to her, his leg giving out as he pulled himself the rest of the way. He wasn't alone, he was not stuck in this alone.

"What happened?" she murmured as he took her hand and his bloody fingers moved her hair aside again.

"There was a bombing, my fault, sorry," he murmured.

"You're scared," she breathily whispered.

"Not a fan of enclosed, dark, underground space," he admitted with a humorless laugh.

"I'll… I'll get us out," she whispered.

"No, you're too weak," he said stubbornly.

"Be fine," she mumbled as she grabbed his hand.

"Raven, you're not dying because of Magic loss, or blood loss, you cannot leave me like this!" he snapped.

"Not leaving," she muttered. "Just moving, and don't die, just… cease to be."

"That makes no sense," he warned her. She smiled humorlessly, there was blood staining her teeth and he felt his heart sink as his mind started pointed out everything wrong with her. She was dying, they needed to get the hell out of here.

"Trust me," she panted.

"No dying on me, Raven," he warned seriously.

"'Salright," she slurred as she held his hand tight, her other hand weakly spread beside her and they fell, he didn't yelp, he grabbed her and wrapped his larger form around her just before they hit the grass just outside of their hotel.

"Ow," he muttered.

"I got you," she murmured, Jason didn't remove his arms from around her as he was frozen in place, the pain he felt was slipping through his body, moving to the points her hands were resting on his chest, the moment the pain was gone there was a flood of calm and he let out a shuddering breath as she gave a moan of pain before she was a limp noodle again. Slowly sitting up he noticed that the myriad of bruises he was supposed to be supporting were gone, and that the mangled gash on his leg was healed. Raven on the other hand seemed to be seeping more blood. getting to his feet he ran to where the first responders had set up triage as he shouted for help.

"I need some help here!" he shouted as he came skidding to a halt, a paramedic meeting him half way.

"This is Raven of the Titans, she's got a nasty wound on her side, she's half demon, half human," Jason filled in as she was set down to be looked at.

"And your name, sir," they asked.

"Dick," he blurted out. both medics gave him a blank look. "Richard Grayson, I go by Dick," he lied.

"We'll take care of her, go get yourself," they ordered as other medics surrounded him. Jason just slipped away, knowing now they'd have to track Dick down and call him to the hospital because Jason knew either Dick or Victor was her emergency contact. He didn't know which. Walking out of the scene he stole a sweatshirt and picked up some shoes as he walked the street and he let out a low shuddering breath as he stopped in the alley and felt the tears welling up. This was all his fault.

He couldn't have stayed at the triage, he couldn't even go to the fucking hospital, the League of Assassins was after him again and hanging around all those people would attract trouble. And even if he wasn't a fucking hero, he wasn't enough of a selfish asshole to want innocent people killed in whatever crossfire was coming.

Looking down at his hands he winced seeing all of Raven's blood on them before he stuffed them in the pockets of the hoodie he had and he made his way to the nearest public restroom. Locking himself in he scrubbed his hands raw as he tried to rid them of all the blood.

The fury finally rose in him as he watched Raven's blood slide down the sink before he snarled and glared in the mirror using every ounce of restraint he had. Stalking out of the store he moved to his nearest safe house. He'd just had to helpless watch Raven dying, and he had been trying to patch her; if they wanted to piss him off and make it personal, they won. He was going to burn their game to the ground now.


	4. 4. Hosptial Visits

**Hospital Visits…**

 

He was the second son, the screw up. And he was very used to and very accustomed to being seen that way. It was hard not to feel that way when you stacked him up against all his siblings.

There was Richard 'Dick' Grayson-Wayne, the acrobat who Bruce Wayne had adopted after witnessing Dick's parent's horrible demise. Dick was an instant favorite, with Thomas and Martha, and with Bruce, and Bruce's first wife Talia al Ghul. Also, Dick was perfect, not that Jason resented that, no, Jason just accepted that some people had all the luck in life. Dick was one of those people.

He was the second son, he'd been taken in by the family butler; suiting he supposed, after trying to steal the Rolls Royce's hubcaps when Alfred had parked in Crime Alley outside of Leslie Thompkins' clinic. In his defense no one should park a car that fancy in Crime Alley and expect it to leave in one piece. Yeah, the street rat had been dragged into the life of luxury and though he tried his damnedest to make Bruce proud of him. But a part of Jason knew the only one really wanted him in that house was Alfred. Thomas and Martha Wayne hadn't had much to do with him, Dick had been going through a teen phase, and Talia and Bruce were planning the nursery. It wasn't until a few years later that he obtained Bruce's attentions, and then Bruce and he clashed, a lot, when Jason had become a teen and started dabbling in street races, fights, and trouble, but it wasn't until he started getting in trouble that he had mattered. Before then Jason was just sort of there.

The next kid to come into the family was Cassandra Cain-Wayne, she was a sweet kid, but a mute for the most part. Bruce had picked her up one day, seen her father hit her and just scopped her up and brought her home after getting Cain arrested. His grandmother absolutely adored Cass, as did his grandfather. Talia even liked having a daughter, and Dick clearly preferred a sister to him. And while he liked Cass, he was a bit jealous of her and how easily the family had taken to her.

Talia gave birth to Damian Wayne, a baby who everyone instantly adored and the world held bright promises for. Even Jason would admit the kid was cute; then he'd gotten teeth and an entitled rich brat attitude after the divorce Bruce and Talia dragged him through when he was five. Poor kid was miserable; but Damian could do no wrong, not in the eyes of the al Ghuls or the Waynes.

Bruce took in a friend's son; Timothy Drake, a year after Damian was born. Tim's parents had been friends of the Waynes and died in a car accident. Naturally everyone doted on Tim and took him in, not coddling him, but adoring him. He was intelligent, savvy, and pretty cool; but a total rich kid with the act to go with it. Jason hung out in the garage and had started tinkering with the family cars and learning to cook from Alfred.

Jason was used to family drama from the Waynes, however never had there been a bigger fight in the Wayne house than the adoption of Stephanie Brown. Honestly, Jason felt bad for the kid, it wasn't her choice to come from a bad home, and it wasn't like she'd asked be here. Tim had brought her home, and she was staying. She picked up life in the Manor pretty quickly though, and even she became a proper Wayne in the eyes of Gotham.

Bruce's second wife was alright, Jason liked Selina but he honestly was more interested in the drag races than what was going on with Bruce's love life or family drama.

However, when Selina had Helena Wayne a year into her marriage to Bruce, Jason knew he was never going to have a proper place in the family. His father, or the man who had taken him in, ordered him to put Helena down one night, but it ws the look of fear in Bruce's eyes which told Jason he wasn't familya. Jason come home early from a race, Stephanie and Tim were out with friends, Damian at a sleep over with the Kents, Dick was probably banging Barbra Gordon somewhere, and Cass had had a ballet performance, Alfred had been out of town dealing with his family, Thomas and Martha were out of country for a vacation, Bruce was God knew where, and Selina was sound asleep and sick. NO ONE had been home to take care of a crying, screaming, hungry, soiled Helena; then he'd come home and found her. Naturally he'd cleaned her up, given her a bathe, a fresh diaper, and a bottle before reading the Count of Monte Cristo to her as he paced her around her nursery until she was sound asleep and drooling on his shoulder.

The look on Bruce's face just sort of proved to Jason he didn't belong here as Bruce took his daughter and Jason had stepped back. That weekend he looked up colleges in Europe to escape, he hadn't ever been able to fit the mold of a Wayne and he was likely never going to. Especially when Christmas came around and Selina announced she was pregnant again. Talia had shown up in a raging fit, and Dick had announced that he was going to film school, while Tim spoke of MIT, Stephanie had been accepted into her private school, Cass was going to Juilliard, and Damian had been enrolled in the finest school there was. Jason didn't make a big fuss as he went about applying to the schools which would get him away from the Waynes.

He really didn't belong.

Alfred helped him get accepted to a university in England, and even arranged for Jason to meet his family. Jason just accepted that Alfred was more family than the Waynes and left Gotham for good.

Perhaps it was because he never fit that drew attention to him, or perhaps it was the fact he was the black sheep in the Wayne family, or perhaps it was simply because of the natural white streak in his hair, but everyone looked at him funny. He settled on Mechanical Engineering as his major and English Literature as his minor; odd picks but he liked his books.

He received a letter with a picture of the entire Wayne family in a hospital room that fall with Selina holding the newest Wayne; Terry. Jason felt a pang at not being in the photo; especially when he saw it was a formal birth announcement and not just a family portrait.

It was in deciding this which had him meeting the oddest, American, girl; she wasn't quiet goth but she wasn't casual either. They shared three classes together and frequented the same library. They also shared a table at the library but hadn't spoken a single word to the other; it was a kind of mutual truce. Silence.

Their mutual companionship in the library slowly extended to the quad sophomore year. That was the year he introduced himself, and she introduced herself.

Rachel 'Raven' Roth, she was from San Francisco, not a goth, majoring in English Literature and World History with minors in Philosophy and Theology. They became fast friends, he got a job as a mechanic at a local garage and he saw her working at a café in the city. They didn't talk all that often, just spent time around one another, Raven wasn't much of a talker, and while he could talk he never seemed to have much to say to her. However, they got along pretty well, and he liked her company. At least, their thing was undisrupted until Jason met Donna Troy, a princess of Themyscira. Raven disappeared for a bit after Donna started coming around, at first he didn't think anything of it. At least, not until he had returned from Christmas break and he Raven was nowhere to be found.

Raven returned after New Years, she looked a bit paler, darker bruises beneath her eyes, and a bit more fragile, but she smiled that ghost smile of hers' at him and said he should ask Donna out. He was a Wayne; even if only by adoption, and Donna was a princess, they would be a royal couple. Jason didn't agree or comply with Raven's suggestion.

As it turned out a week before Valentine's Day sort of shot all of his peace to hell when a huffy princess stalked into the library where he was reading, and Raven was sitting opposite of him, slammed her books down and demanded to know why he hadn't asked her out yet. Raven covered for him saying he'd planned on doing it tomorrow, and then she was gone and he had a date with Donna Troy.

A date turned into a relationship, and as he was labeled as the official 'Prince' for Donna he noticed a lot of odd things about his only American friend. Raven was vanishing more and more frequently, she was paler than usual and when she did show up she had a case of racoon eyes if he ever saw it; even with her wearing cover up, also she seemed… weak.

It was towards the end of the semester when he'd been putting the books back after a cram session with Raven that she collapsed. He'd panicked and called for an ambulance.

Donna had met him at the hospital, and as he waited for news on if Raven was even alright, he found himself wanting to call Bruce. For the first time in over a year he wanted to hear his foster father's voice calm him down from the panic he felt clawing at his chest. Donna left him when she noticed that she'd attract publicity, he stubbornly waited where he was.

It was when the doctor came out into the waiting room that he stood and demanded to know how his friend was. He got nothing from the man, but Jason wasn't leaving until he was certain Raven was alright.

He ended up camping out in the waiting room for about four days, the staff shooed him off occasionally, he'd usually end up across the street for a hot meal but he haunted their hospital. Donna sending her butler with clean clothes for him. It was on the fourth day when the doors had been thrown open and a giant of a man stormed in that Jason actually froze. It was Victor Stone, the number one coming draft pick for pro football, and he looked scared.

"I'm here about Rachel! Rachel Roth! I got a call saying she was here!" Victor said at the front desk and Jason walked up to the man as he was put on hold.

"You know Raven?" Jason asked.

"Dude! That's my sister! Not really my sister, but she's like my sister!" Victor filled in quickly.

"I'm Jason Todd, I found her when she collapsed, they haven't let me see her," Jason rushed.

"You're that Jason! Thank you!" Jason gasped as he was pulled into a bone crushing hug then and he gasped as the larger man seemed to crush the air out of his lungs.

"I just… Thank you man! You have no idea what… God, thank you!" Victor sobbed.

"Mr. Stone, I'm Dr. Avery, I've been treating Miss Roth," a doctor announced. Jason stood by Victor and Victor had a massive hand firmly clasped on his shoulder.

"How is she!?" Victor demanded.

"She's awake, she's asked to see you, and said if Mr. Todd was still here he could come as well," the doctor said.

Jason trembled a bit in relief as he walked with Victor through the hospital until they came to a patient room. Raven's small form was propped up in the masses of pillows, she was shivering, had a purple beaning on her head, and her paler than normal self looked like a single touch would have her shattering. Honestly she looked like a fragile little bird when she turned her huge dark eyes on them and weakly smiled.

"Hey Vic," she chattered. Victor was beside her in a second as he pulled the blanket up and Raven looked at him. "Hey Jason."

"You scared the hell out of me, explain," he stated as he pulled up a chair beside the bed where Victor was sitting. God she was so fucking small.

"Leukemia," she answered weakly.

"Rae… you said it was in remission," Victor sighed. Raven trembled more, Jason tugged his jacket off as he draped it over her.

"I'm sorry," she chattered, looking so small and vulnerable.

"Why didn't you call?" Victor demanded.

"I didn't want to screw up your draft chances," she looked down at her lap and Jason noticed then her dark hair was completely gone.

"Rae," Victor sighed. "This is more important."

"It wasn't that important, the wig was warm, and I paid for most the treatments with my savings," Raven chattered.

"Not the point," Victor snapped.

"How long?" Jason demanded sharply cutting off Victor's arguments.

"October," she shivered. "I thought it was fatigue from work and studying, then the bruises started again, I checked myself in again. It's back."

"Rae," Victor sighed again.

"Why didn't you tell him, or me?" Jason demanded.

"I didn't want to trouble you," Raven shivered. Victor was now dropping a jacket on her.

"Well that stops now, I've got my degree, I'll get a job, move here," Victor started. Raven weakly shook her head and Jason sighed.

"There's no point, it's too aggressive this time," she whispered.

"Raven…" Victor looked ready to burst into tears and Jason touched her shoulder lightly; genuinely worried he'd break her.

"It's alright Victor. I got borrowed time," she smiled meekly. "And the best friends I could ask for, and we all knew you'd be the one to beat it. It was only a matter of time."

"Rae, shut up," Victor teared up.

"It's alright Victor. Just… don't bury me, please, I want… I want to be in the ocean, not in a box in the ground," Raven sighed.

"Shut up, don't talk that way! Kori and Gar wouldn't want you to talk like that! You have to fight," Victor snapped at her. Jason was out of his chair as he yanked out his phone and hurried into the hall. He dialed a number he'd been too stubborn to even look at as he waited patiently for an answer.

It was by the third ring that he got a tired answer.

"Hello?"

"I need a favor, I'll do whatever you want, I'll even leave you guys alone completely but for the love of God Bruce I need help!" he panicked as he dragged a hand through his hair and slid down the hospital wall, tears welling up as he remembered his mother fighting cancer.

"Jay? What's wrong?" Bruce asked now more awake.

"I… you have to save her, she's great, she loves classic literature and tea, she's a world history major, minoring in philosophy and theology, she's… she's fucking sunshine Bruce! She doesn't deserve to die and she's… please! I will do whatever you want, but please," Jason was pleaded as he fought back the sobs then.

"Jason, what's the problem?"

Jason found himself stating what he knew, and begging. Bruce said he'd get back to him and hung up. Shakily Jason got to his feet again as he stumbled into the room and looked at Raven who was sleeping now burrowed beneath the jackets and blankets, shivering still and Victor looked up at him with sad eyes.

"My mom, she… she died of cancer, and heroin, but the cancer's what did her in," Jason said softly as he sat again and stared at Raven. "I… I missed it with Raven, but it's the same, different but the same."

"Not surprising," Victor said in a harsh, emotionally strangled tone. "Raven hid it well, she did it for Kori and Gar, but… I could see it. She puts on the brave front, she will hide it, and make certain no one sees it or hears it, acts like it isn't there, and then it attacks and she… she collapses," Victor sobbed the last part.

"Kori and Gar?"

"Yeah, we… we met at a cancer hospital, I had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Kori, we called her Starfire, she had leukemia, like Rae, and Gar, little Garfield, he had a terminal brain tumor. We... we were the terminal kids, we weren't going to make it, but we fought. Garfield was the first to go, he went quick, he was my best friend, only thirteen. Kori passed away when she was seventeen, we thought she beat it, she'd gone into remission for six months, it came back and it hit her so hard she just… faded. Raven and I were the only two left, Raven's been fighting since she was fourteen. She's family man," Victor was sobbing by the end of his statement.

"She can't die, she can't, she was beating it, she can't fucking die!" Victor was sobbing and Jason put a hesitant hand on the stranger's shoulder for support as his own tears slipped his guard.

"She… she told me about you," Victor sniffled after a while. "She… Rae's never been good with making friends, give her a book and she's gone. But you… you were different. God man, the first time she told me about you she was so damned annoyed that another person had the audacity to sit at her library table with her that she was raging for hours. Then it became a war of wills, she thought… she thought you were trying to intimidate her, told me you were a real scary kind of guy. By Christmas she had decided you were a friend, God I couldn't stop laughing. Told me you two hadn't spoken a word at one another but you were her friend.

"You… you have no idea how grateful I am that she met you."

"She was good to me as well, I never had many friends," Jason admitted softly.

"Mind sitting with her, I don't want her alone, but she's going to freeze to death if I don't get supplies," Victor sobered up as he scrubbed his face.

"Go," Jason waved off. "Hey, here, here's my number, call if you need something and can't find it."

"Thanks, here's my number, if I'm not back when she wakes call me, I… I don't want to lose more time with her than I already have," Victor muttered as he leaned over and kissed Raven's brow before he was gone. Jason just sat against the bed railing, he toyed with her fingers gently and he stared at the face of a girl who was his friend. He must have fallen asleep holding her hand because he woke with her prying weakly at his fingers.

"Hey," he whispered, and she blearily looked at him.

"Your palm's sweaty," she muttered.

"Sorry," he released her hand and then picked up the number Victor had left him and his phone before dialing it.

"You think she'd want wool socks or fuzzy socks?" Victor asked seriously.

"Ask her yourself, she's awake," he handed her the phone, Raven looked so confused then smiled as Victor started talking. Jason just stood up to stand in the hall as he tried to breath. God he'd kill for a smoke right now.

Victor showed up hours later, his arms full of stuff; hospital essetials he said. Raven was sitting up wrapped up in Jason's leather jacket and she just smiled as Victor and Jason unpacked the bags. Victor had gone so far as to make a fashion show for Raven of the thousand scarves, and hats he'd bought her. Jason had laughed with Raven. Before they were forced to leave that night Raven was securely wrapped up in a pile of warm, if somewhat mismatched fleece blankets, an electric blanket, wearing at least two pairs of fuzzy socks, and a beanie from Victor's college, with a walkie talkie in hand.

"Call if you need something Rae, I'll be back in the morning," Victor assured her as he left her wrapped up n sweatshirts blankets, socks, and had a pile of new books lining her bed.

"Thanks Vic," she yawned.

"Love you girl," Victor promised with a kiss on her brow and Jason stood there quietly.

"You don't… you don't have to come," Raven said quietly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he promised as he waved her off, afraid to touch her since the hand he'd held earlier was slightly bruised.

"Kay, tomorrow," she yawned as she rested in the pillows, and blankets. Walking out Jason heard victor arguing with a hotel.

"Hey," Jason jogged up to the older man.

"Huh?"

"It's late, I got a pull out couch, you can stay at my place tonight," Jason said.

"Seriously? We don't know each other," Victor pointed out.

"I know, but… Rae was my first friend here, and you're her family, it's fair," Jason reasoned.

"Yeah, thanks man, you close to the hospital?"

"Just a stop away," Jason admitted as he stuffed his hands in his jacket and walked with the giant.

"Thanks for doing this, you… you have no idea what that girl means to me," he murmured.

"I get it," Jason assured him. The trip to Jason's flat was silent, Jason quickly texted Donna that he'd be having a guest and that he'd be at the hospital a lot, Donna texted back saying that was fine which thoroughly pissed Jason off. It wasn't fine, but that was not an argument he was having with the princess over texts.

"Thanks man," Victor repeated once they had set the bed up.

"Yeah, I wish I could do more," Jason admitted.

"Man, I wish she'd told me," Victor looked ready to cry again but Jason just nodded. He got it, he wished Raven had spoken up as well, said she was sick rather than hiding it.

"Get some sleep, we'll take Raven breakfast tomorrow," Victor decided.

"We will?"

"She doesn't eat feasts or food like this man, but she's got a soft spot for peanut butter and bananas, and the peanut butter sort of helps her from looking like a starved holocaust survivor," Victor said.

"Kay, we'll get it at the market in the morning," Jason agreed.

"Good, oh, and she will like movies, shit like Minions and Deadpool, you know, stuff to make you laugh, and stuff like Harry Potter and Marvel movies, stuff with adventure," Victor said.

"Kay," Jason smiled a bit. He'd have never guess Raven liked the Minions.

"Thanks again," Victor sighed.

"Night Victor," Jason yawned as he walked to his room.

"Night Jason," Victor surrendered.

Jason struggled to sleep, and what sleep he did have was restless. He was so fucking scared, so terrified of going through everything he'd gone through his mother, he couldn't lose another person to cancer. He wasn't strong enough to survive that again. Finally sleep came for him and he dreamt of a healthy, pale, black haired girl with a somber face, and a ghost smile. She deserved to live. He needed her to live, he needed her.

The thought bolted him awake at dawn.

He needed Raven.

Jason and Victor arrived at the hospital at nine, they'd accidentally taken longer to get to the hospital than they intended when Jason and victor had argued over which laptop to get Raven so she could watch movies. They'd ended up on a Surface in the end, and Victor pouted at the Mac not being bought. They bought about seven jars of peanut butter, smooth, bananas, green apples, and oranges, Victor insisted this was what Raven would eat other than green jell-o. Jason didn't question it.

But they walked in at nine, walked into Raven's room with their supplies and Jason had frozen seeing Bruce sitting there talking with Raven.

"M-Mr. Wa-Wayne!?" Victor stammered. Raven turned sleepy eyes on them and smiled.

"Morning," Raven yawned.

"Hey sunshine," Jason greeted her as he walked over. "We brought breakfast."

"Bananas?" she asked.

"Yeah, and Victor said you like peanut butter," Jason said as he set the bags on the stand in the room and looked at Bruce carefully.

"He said he's your dad, he wants to take me stateside for a treatment," Raven said blissfully as she struggled a bit to stay awake.

"As I was telling Miss Roth, Wayne Enterprises has been developing revolutionary treatments to treat conditions like her," Bruce started, looking at him.

"You mean you can fix her?" Victor asked as he stopped opening up the laptop.

"I believe that our programs will help Miss Roth, I've read over her chart myself," Bruce said. Jason handed Raven her peanut butter jar and a banana as he went to make some tea, Victor insisted Raven would only drink tea and it was there job to have her herbal tea ready.

"Yes," Victor blurted out. "Whatever it costs, whatever it takes, yes, please! I... I can't pay you now, Mr. Wayne, but I'll get the money, just please…"

"This is pro-bono," Bruce said swiftly. "I Wayne Foundation will be pleased to help accommodate Miss Roth during her treatments, and with the best care possible."

"I can… I can stay," Raven said nervously.

"No, you're getting the treatments Rae," Victor warned her.

"But there are others who might need it more," Raven protested as she took a small bite of her banana.

"You're going sunshine," he warned her.

"Miss Roth, I believe you are a good candidate for our programs, but window is closing. I would like to have you moved stateside to a facility in Gotham, Gotham General has the needed supplies, and you will be receiving a private room," Bruce said.

"Um…" Raven looked fidgety as she shivered. "Alright, can… can I read papers on this though?"

"Certainly," Bruce nodded as he produced the papers for Raven and she took them in trembling hands. "Jason, a word."

"Yeah," he nodded as he left Victor and Raven behind.

"Come home," were the first words out of Bruce's mouth once they were alone.

"Huh?"

"Selina told me that I might have over reacted with you caring for Helena and… we, the whole family, wants you home," Bruce said. "No matter what your girlfriend will receive her treatments if she comes in, but we'd like you home."

"She's not my girlfriend," Jason stated firmly. "And… I don't belong there. Didn't fit the upper class or dear grandma or grandpa's mold for a good Wayne. I just looked the part.

"Jason… please," Bruce side tiredly.

"I'll only go if she goes," Jason snapped and walked back into the room where he found Victor working on the computer and Raven eating.

"You'll still visit me in the hospital, right?" she asked.

"Of course," he and Victor answered simultaneously.

"Alright," Raven breathed shakily.

* * *

Jason moved back to Gotham and his old room at the Manor when Raven was transferred to Gotham General. Victor even stayed with the Wayne family, Raven had a private room in the north west corner; per Victor's statement that Raven liked sunrises more than sunsets.

Jason hadn't missed much, he didn't care, he and Victor spent just about everyday at the hospital while Raven received her treatments. Victor was the second draft pick when the draft came around; his irresponsible stunt of running off from something when Raven's doctor had called was concerning to scouts until news broke that Victor's 'little sister' was fighting Leukemia. It wasn't a forgivable excuse, but Victor shared his story and people saw him as a hero and survivor.

Raven didn't seem better or worse, she was just tired, and liked company.

Donna dumped him, not scandalously or horribly, they had just sort of drifted apart and then she'd skyped him one day and they had mutually broken up. Jason had snuck Raven out of the room in a wheelchair that day as he took her to the gardens and they read their respective books.

His siblings stopped by frequently. Dick brought his fiancée, Barbra and Barbra and Raven had clashed while Raven got along with Dick. Tim popped in after school, often just sitting there watching a movie with Raven, him and Victor. Stephanie usually came once a week with Cassandra, silence was comfortable then. Damian showed up Tuesdays and Thursdays, he would draw or something in the corner, ignoring everyone and anyone in the room; Raven didn't mind though so Jason ignored it as well. The first time Selina showed up Helena toddled in on quick legs and would have clambered all over Raven had Jason not intervened, and Terry chewed on Selina's hair where he was sitting in her arms.

The first time Martha showed up she was alone, Raven was also alone, what happened Jason didn't know, just that when he showed up Raven was smiling and Martha said he had a beautiful young girlfriend, which had had both him and Raven sputtering in protest. Martha showed up every Monday from then on. Thomas Wayne showed up on Wednesdays, it was irritating because the man was like Bruce and though kinder, was silent, and acted like a doctor as he hovered over Raven.

Victor came every day off that he had, and he never failed to spend the day with Raven and Jason.

Alfred was another daily visitor, bringing Raven bananas, other fruits and peanut butter.

The days Bruce showed up were the days that Jason uncomfortably sat as close to Raven as he could get and hoped he'd disappear. However rarely was anything said as some movie played and Raven drifted off to sleep.

Which brought Jason, after a summer of turmoil, to this fine day in autumn as he pushed Raven's wheelchair through the garden.

"Doc says you're in remission again," Jason said as he parked her under a huge oak.

"Yeah," she smiled weakly.

"That's good," he said as he sat on the bench beside her.

"Yes it is," she agreed.

"Sunshine?"

"Hm?"

"You can't die on me," he murmured.

"I…"

"No, you can't," he warned sharply.

"I'll try not to," she yawned.

"Good, we're also going to watch Victor's first game," he said.

"It's in three hours, I have the sun, and I'm sleepy," she muttered.

"Yeah, I know," he smiled. "Rest up, we'll watch the game in a bit."

"Jason," she murmured.

"Hm?"

"You've been the best friend I've ever had; Vic's family, but you've been my best friend," she smiled. His heart stopped, if she survived this, he was going to marry that girl one day.

"You've been my best friend too," he murmured, she was already asleep though and he smiled. He had some great memories at the hospital, and if he had it his way, he'd never visit the hospital again as he tugged on her ear muffs and sat in the autumn sun.


	5. 5 Scar Worship

**Scar Worship…**

 

Raven loved his scars, she loved every mark he had on him for they told a story. The story of Jason Todd, and she found it completely mesmerizing. Heartbreaking too, but it was his story and she loved everything about him.

Sitting up in his bed she stared at her sleeping lover and smiled a bit to herself as she looked about the room. Their clothes from the evening out were scattered about the organized room, the bed was a wreck, a few of his glass cases were broken (her doing), and his books were stacked on his nightstand. However her eyes settled on his exposed back as he slept.

His body was riddled in scars, and every one of these marks showed a moment someone tried to break him and he continued to live. Slowly she reached out as her fingers lightly feathered the angry skin. The ridges were felt as she slowly moved over him, she felt the texture, the rises the dips, the leather improperly healed skin, the taunt thin skin, and his warm healthy skin.

"What the hell are you doing?" came the sleepy question. Raven didn't stop tracing his scars or look away from her task.

"What does it feel like I'm doing?" she murmured. Suddenly she found herself pinned, emotions raging in him and bombarding her already downed shields. Her eyes traced the barely visible J carved in his cheek.

"Raven, I don't…" he started uncertainly.

"I love your scars," she whispered cutting off his uncertainty then.

"What?"

"I love your scars," she repeated as her lover slowly relaxed and sat up. Raven followed his action as she stared him down.

"You'd be a first," Jason admitted bitterly and she smiled as she slowly raised her fingers to trace two bullet scars which had barely missed his heart.

"They tell a story," she murmured as she pressed him back in the bed and straddled him. "And I love stories," she reminded him as her mouth was a whisper away from his.

"I hadn't noticed, sunshine," he smiled a bit.

"Mmm, I like good stories, but Jason, I love defying the odd stories," she informed him as she pulled away from him before she kissed him. "You are so heartbreakingly beautiful."

"Wrong adjective, little bird," he chuckled, his hands resting on her hips, but Raven didn't let him move her just yet.

"No it's not," she assured him. "You're handsome, very handsome I will admit that but you're beautiful story," she promised as she came over him, her fingers entwining in his hair. "My favorite is the white streak, makes you look like a rogue."

She lightly kissed his brow then and she slowly moved to the J carved in his cheek before she gingerly traced it. If she could she would destroy the Joker for marking him, but Jason had decided J didn't stand for Joker or Joke, or anything other than Jason.

"I love how you changed this one's meaning," she whispered and kissed his lips lightly as she continued kissing his jawline. Lightly nipping his pulse as his hands trailed over her spine. Lightly her tongue traced a stab wound scar on his collarbone.

"This one is beautiful, you saved a lot of people that day," she pointed out. Raven shifted when his hands slid over her ribs and were about to cup her breasts so he couldn't distract her. Instead she caught his wandering hands and sat back on his abdomen.

"I am very fond of these," she admitted devilishly. "They're so incredibly painful, and you shouldn't have them, but I love them because it brought you back, brought you to me."

She gingerly pressed her lips to the scars on his knuckles and fingers; not even the Lazarus Pit had been able to rid him of these. To her they were marks of survival, of strength, of triumph, he'd beaten death, he'd clawed out of that coffin and come back to the world of the living. And because he was alive now, he was hers', and Raven couldn't hate that for anything in the world. Jason sat up, she slid into his lap then.

"Rae," he warned in a dark tone and she kissed him again as she released his hands.

"I love this scar," she murmured, her fingers gingerly traced the one over his chest, a ragged slash, and she ghosted her nail over his nipple, he inhaled sharply. "Thank you for saving my team that day. You didn't have to, so thank you."

He didn't say anything as his mouth caught hers' again and she kissed him back, her hands wandering down his abs until she found a particular scar she loved. It was a nasty one, one which should have killed him that day, but it hadn't and, oh, how she loved it.

"But this one," she murmured as they parted, gasping for air. "I cherish this one the most," she reminded him, his hands caught her hips as he dragged her closer, she could feel his hard member between them pulsing with heat.

"Why?"

"Because… you said you loved me," she reminded him and she pushed him back on the bed as she fell atop him. "You don't say that, not often, but you said it."

"You have favorite scars?" he mused, his eyes dark and she smiled at him.

"I have favorite _stories_ , and you just happen to be riddled with mine," she promised as he dragged her down for another hard kiss which stole her breath. His hands slid over her thighs and to her center. She whimpered a bit in anticipation.

"You're such an odd little demon," he murmured pulling away, kissing her hammering pulse. "No one has liked the scars, then you…" he hissed almost angrily and she felt turmoil feelings rolling off him.

"I love you," she whispered. "I love all of you."

"You'd be a fucking first," he growled as she fell back on the mattress, she gasped when his fingers traced her slit then.

There was so much pain, and turmoil in him, so much loss and betrayal, and he was such a heartbreakingly good story riddled in scars.

"I love you," she promised again as her lover kissed her again. And she'd love every scar he had because they made him who he was, they told his story. She'd just have to remind him of that often. His mouth traveled down her throat, and she moaned when his fingers parted her folds.


	6. 6 Making Fun of One Another

**Making Fun of One Another…**

 

It was so hard not to make fun of her! It was really difficult not to! Oh God! If he had known she was going to be here, with the kiddies, and not only be here but look the part…! He'd have brought a camera. He really would have.

This was almost as good as her being stuck as a rabbit or drunk on St. Patty's Day or turned into a child or something!

But here she was, with the kiddies and she was even dressed the part. It was so deliciously out of character he couldn't help but walk up to tease her. It couldn't be helped.

"No Melvin, Timmy stand still, Teether stop biting Damian! Damian no! Everyone stand still! Mar'i feet on the ground, no powers Jon, everyone settle down!" Raven shouted.

"Troubles princess?" he whispered in her ear, she yelped as she leapt up and spun around. He chuckled and Lian giggled from her perch on his shoulders.

"Please tell me you did not kidnap that toddler, Jason," she pleaded desperately. Lian giggled hysterically then.

"Can we go now!?" a blonde girl with pigtails whined.

"I didn't, this happens to be my goddaughter, I've got her for the weekend, you?" he asked.

"Drafted," Raven sighed.

"Teacups!" Lian shouted as she tugged his hair.

"How many you got?" Jason asked.

"Damian, Jon, Teether, Timmy, Melvin, and Mar'i," Raven blurted out.

"Where's the reinforcements?" he asked.

"Gar was supposed to be my reinforcements, but he's… blondes," Raven sighed.

"Rae-Rae! I gotta go pee!" Timmy whined.

"Want reinforcements?"

"Are you working?"

"Nope."

"YES!" she gasped.

"RAE!" Mar'i whined.

"Alright to the bathrooms!" Raven shouted and they were herded towards the nearest bathroom. Jason looked after the boys as Raven took care of the girls and they were waiting outside the bathroom for a beat while the kids washed hands and washed up.

"Disneyland?" he asked.

"Dick was supposed to be here, but him and Kori were called on an off world mission then Gar decided we'd all go and the moment we got here he saw a cute blonde and… poof! he's gone," Raven growled lowly looking extremely murderous and indifferent at the same time. "You?"

"Roy was supposed to bring Lian here, but… shit happens, I was drafted to watch her for the weekend," Jason shrugged. "Divide and conquer?"

"You're not going to lose one of my kids are you?" she asked.

"Never!" he gasped offensively, she smirked.

"Alright," she agreed and they shook on it.

Jason took Jon, Damian, and Melvin and hit up all the rides the other kids were too short for. Raven took Lian, Mar'i, Teether, and Timmy to the little kid stuff. At lunch they met up in New Orleans Square at the Café Orléans.

"Yay! Lunch! Hungry!" Mar'i shouted in glee as his niece ran to the table.

"No flying!" Damian snapped when Mar'i looked ready to fly. Raven appeared a second later with Teether and Lian in arm and Timmy trailing along.

"Food," Raven collapsed in a chair as they placed orders and the kids started talking, arguing and playing. Raven looked at him strangely.

"What's up princess?" he mused.

"You're… wearing ears? So's Damian?" Raven blinked.

"Of course! Jon and Melvin wanted the ears, Damian said he'd only wear them if I did, and he really should have known better," Jason grinned.

"Yes, he should have," Raven mused.

"Here, we've gotten everyone ears," Jason announced as he pulled out the ears, he handed Raven a tiara, she might have actually worn the ears, but he knew for a fact she'd never wear a tiara.

"Where's my ears?" Raven asked.

"Todd insisted that the tiara was more appropriate," Damian stated then.

"Oh, did he now?" Raven's eyes narrowed on him. Lian was sniggering as she and Mar'i sat on his lap.

"Of course, princess," he grinned maliciously at her.

"I really hate you sometimes," she warned.

"Only sometimes, I'm going to have to work harder on that," he decided.

"Rae-Rae! Queen Rae-Rae!" Timmy and Teether started singing, Lian and Mar'i joined in on the singing and he decided to join in too.

"Rae, you need to wear the tiara, we're wearing the ears!" Melvin announced.

"It seems only fair that we all be equally ridiculed," Damian decided.

"Best field trip ever!" Jon shouted.

"Fine! I'll wear the tiara!" Raven surrendered.

"Hooray!" Mar'i and Lian shouted as he laughed, Raven shoved the tiara on her head, he reached out and straightened it a bit and leaned back as lunch resumed. He listened with gusto as Lian and Mar'i told him all about the Teacups. He and Raven both nearly choked when Mar'i and Lian asked if they were lovers, the other kids were snickering; even the demon spawn looked amused at the question. Teether had claimed his seat on Raven's lap as they ate. Jon started a food war between himself and Damian, Melvin and Timmy were showing of their lanyards of pins, even Raven's pins, Jason was nearly stabbed with a pin by Lian when she tried to give him a princess Merdia pin.

"What a lovely family, would you like a photo?" a photographer appeared at the end of lunch.

"We're not!" Raven started.

"Sure," he shrugged. He wanted a photo to tease Raven with; especially one of her wearing a tiara and lanyard of pins.

"Ride's now! Jaybird ours!" Lian shouted.

"Yay uncle Jay!" Mar'i shouted.

"After a picture," Jason announced as he pulled Raven to his side so she couldn't slink off, she glared at him, but they were all smiling (even Damian), when the flash went off.

"Tag team, switch!" he decided. Raven shoved Teether at him and she was dragged off by Jon and Melvin, Jason collected the photo and had several copies made as he then endured the fairy princess land and Dumbo flying. He met Raven at the front gate at seven o'clock.

"Have a good day princess?" he asked as he carried Lian in one arm and a sleeping Teether in the other, Raven collected a stumbling Mar'i.

"Long, very long," she said.

"Tomorrow! California Adveture Land!" Jon shouted.

"You are being utterly ridiculous, Jon," Damian snapped.

"Little Mermaid tonight!" Melvin bounced at her announcement and Raven sighed.

"Want to join us?" Jon demanded. "You're fun! I don't know why Damian likes Dick more! You let us have sugar and candy!"

"I hate you," Raven warned.

"Hey, he said he could and I'm not arguing with a Kryptonian with lasers, and yeah, I'll join you guys," Jason shrugged.

"YAY!" all the awake kids, but Damian shouted as they ran for the car.

By then end of that weekend Jason had so much blackmail on Raven that he was grinning. It was about a week later when he was on the run, dodging Titans and evading Bats when he and Raven stumbled across one another.

"Hey princess," he grinned behind his red helmet.

"Stop calling me princess!" she hissed.

"But you look so pretty in that tiara!" he teased.

"We are never speaking of this again!" she gasped.

"Tiara!" Kori squealed, the fighting stopping then.

"I've got the photo to prove it! I'll send you a copy Kori!"

"I am sending you to Hell Red!" Raven roared, he leapt off the sky scraper then as he ran away laughing from the demoness chasing him.


	7. 7 Death of Someone Close

**Death of Someone Close…**

 

Death wasn't something new, she wished it wasn't, and there were times she really hated death. It took the good young, the wicked easily, the strong painfully, and the old slowly. It was a cruel fact of life, and it was only made crueler as Raven stood there, under an umbrella, in the pouring rain at Wayne Manor as she watched her two dearest friends be buried together, and their baby girl was sleeping soundly in her arms.

It wasn't as if Raven had volunteered for being named guardian of Mar'i Grayson, quite the opposite really; in fact, until she'd open the door of her apartment and seen an agent standing there telling her that Mar'i was an orphan she hadn't even known she was the guardian.

Kori and she had been college roommates, and practically sisters; Kori's older sister, Kom'a was a bitch so Kori had been thrilled to practically drag Raven into a family of friends. Kori was so vital, and powerful, so full of life and fire that she had seemed indomitable. Then she'd met Dick Grayson, one of the billionaire Bruce Wayne's adopted sons, and they were just… immortal. Raven had liked Dick, thought his family to be interesting, and nice, and stable.

The whirlwind romance of Dick Grayson and Kori Anders was one the gossip columns and celebrity sheets had eaten up.

The world had loved Dick and Kori, from the start. And now it was the end as Raven tentatively swayed for Mar'i as the pastor spoke. Dick's whole family was there; Bruce, his second wife Selina, Jason, Tim, Damian, Helena and the baby, Terry. Kori's family didn't even show; her brother having perished from cancer years earlier and Kom'a being an overall raging bitch wouldn't show.

It was later when she was in the Manor, Mar'i was screaming, crying, and fussing and Raven was struggling to change her goddaughter's diaper that he appeared.

"Here," he murmured and slipped beside her as he deftly changed Mar'i, Raven only watched him and then Mar'i was quiet.

"Think you could teach me the trick to that?" Raven asked as he wiped off his hands, she did the same.

"Practice, I watched Damian, Helena, and Terry enough when they were in diapers," he answered. She nodded, still numb from the grief of losing her best friend.

"I don't think we've ever met properly, Raven, Raven Rachel Roth," she said and held out her hand.

"Jason, Jason Todd-Wayne," he said as they shook. "They named you guardian of Mar'i didn't they."

"I have no idea why," Raven admitted as she picked up the fussy baby. Mar'i was at that stage where being set down was sacrilege in her mind and was met with furiously loud screams of protest. Raven just held the baby and walked out of the bathroom with the diaper bag.

"Well, Bruce has his hands full, Wally is single and too childish, Roy's already got a daughter and dysfunctional marriage, Victor's a pro-football athlete, and Dick would never leave his daughter in the care of Garfield, he's just too childish," Jason shrugged.

"And why not you?" Raven asked.

"Because I travel way too much," Jason smiled a bit, but it looked forced. "And from what I heard of Kori's family, you were it. Her sister's a tabloids bitch, and Mar'i here deserved better than that."

"I guess," Raven sighed as she rubbed Mar'i's back.

"Miss Roth," she looked up when a new voice entered the hall and she saw Bruce standing there. "Let us speak in my study."

"Yeah," Raven sighed tiredly. Todd held out his hands and Raven reluctantly handed Mar'i over with the diaper bag before walking into the study with Bruce a step behind her.

"We've never been properly introduced," Bruce said, she looked a man in his early forties over, black hair, blue eyes, muscular build. He actually looked the part of Dick's father with how he carried himself, Dick had held himself the same way, more relaxed but the same way.

"I live in San Francisco," Raven said softly. "I don't like to travel, flying scares me, and I'm usually working or writing."

"I understand, Miss Roth," Bruce sat. "My parents died when I was eight, Alfred raised me. Dick's parents died when he was twelve, I adopted him at the same time. Jason's mother died when he was seven, Tim's parents died when he was ten. I am telling you this because they remember their parents, as do I, Mar'i won't, and you will be removing her from her family by returning to San Francisco."

"Mr. Wayne…" Raven opened her mouth but the business man cut her off.

"I am asking you to let Mar'i be raised by her family here in Gotham, relinquish custody of her and let her be with her family," Bruce said softly and Raven sighed. It was for the best, but then she remembered Jason's words, remembered that Bruce had a violent ex-wife who had kidnapped their son on four separate occasions; seriously wounding Dick in one of the kidnappings, and remembered the other toddler and small children she'd seen. She also knew Bruce had never hired a nanny in his life, and Alfred was getting old.

"Mr. Wayne, I can't," Raven said softly. "I've accepted a job in New York City, at a publishing house as an editor, I've got a line of some apartments for Mar'i and I, it was the closest I could get to Gotham. I don't… I don't have a family, Mr. Wayne, I didn't have a family until Kori and Dick. I don't, I can't give you Mar'i, she's all I've got left of Kori, and she's my goddaughter, and you have five other children to look after, a company to run, and a demanding life. I decided I would move as close to Gotham as I could, so Mar'i could still know her family. But I can't give her to you knowing they asked me instead of you. I can't Mr. Wayne."

"Miss Roth, I will fight you for my granddaughter."

"And I can't fight you," Raven murmured tiredly. "But Mr. Wayne, they asked me to take care of Mar'i. I never wanted this, I never wanted to have that responsibility, I never planned on having a family of my own even. But they asked me, not you, me, and I will be looking out Mar'i, she's my goddaughter."

"Miss Roth," Bruce started.

"I want her to know her family, Mr. Wayne, I wanted to ask you if on weekends she could come over, when she's older, and be a part of the Wayne family. I won't come if you would prefer but I'm begging you, please don't take the last bit of family I have. She's all I've got. My father is in prison, my mother was killed by him, I have six older brothers who'd probably kill me if I ever crossed their paths again, and I don't have anyone. Kori was my family, and she asked me to watch her daughter. I'm begging you Mr. Wayne, please to take her away from me."

Bruce seemed to think this over for a long moment and then his sharp blue eyes snapped onto her.

"If anything happens to her, anything, I will fight the courts to take her from you," Bruce warned.

"Nothing will happen to Mar'i," Raven promised.

"And I will cover all of Mar'i's expenses, she will have a trust set up, you'll be provided a monthly allowence for rent and food," Bruce started.

"I don't want the money Mr. Wayne, I'm doing fine on my own, but if you must, set up Mar'i's trust," Raven murmured.

"I want the name of the company you're working for Miss Roth, and your address once you've settled. You can expect visits from my family, and you will be here every Sunday for family dinner, with Mar'i," Bruce stated.

"Yeah," she surrendered. "If that's all, I… I would like to get back to Mar'i," she sighed.

"Of course."

Raven walked out of the room and found Jason bouncing Mar'i who was tugging on the white streak in his hair.

"Thanks" she murmured as she took Mar'i from Jason's grasp.

"Hey, sunshine," he said. Raven burst into tears then and found herself pulled into a strong set of arms. Jason said nothing and she was happy that he said nothing as she sobbed into his chest and clung desperately to his shirt.

"They're gone!"

"I know," was the response and for the first time in two weeks since learning the news of the accident Raven didn't feel alone. Jason said nothing and just held her.


	8. 8 Sleeping In

**Sleeping In…**

 

A shuddering breath escaped his lips as his arm tightened around the other occupant of his bed and he slowly opened his eyes against the harsh morning sun. Wincing a bit, he slowly moved to sit up, to pull away when his eyes landed on the black mass of hair with a purple tint in this light. The woman mumbled a bit as she shifted, but she didn't wake and he smirked a bit.

Raven never slept over, they fucked and she left; he never let the women he brought here stay. He'd call them a cab, he'd send them on their way, and he'd sometimes even follow them to make certain they had made it home.

However, they didn't stay.

He didn't want complications, he didn't want entanglements, he didn't want everything that came from a woman sleeping and waking in his bed. He didn't want them to cook breakfast, he didn't want them to make coffee, and he didn't want morning sex. No, he wanted to have his release and them gone. He just didn't do complications. And Raven was no exception, though she was his preferred bed partner. The sex with her was fucking amazing! Seriously, the empath demon was the best bed mate he'd ever stumbled across.

And that was saying something because a Supergirl had been amazing, and Starfire had also been breathtaking. Both those ladies were strong, and had the endurance of goddesses. Kara was so energetic and fucking hot she was insatiable, and Star was just so vivacious and passionate she was amazing.

However, Jason felt the best woman he'd ever had in his bed was sleeping right now. The empath was amazing, and when she let go… hell, all her emotions could level a city, and that was a huge fucking turn on. Especially since he was on the receiving end. Raven took as good as she got, and what she might have lacked in experience she had made up for in enthusiasm and curiosity and a healthy dose of open mindedness. She never said no until she tried it, and trust him, he'd done kinky but he'd never had someone willing to try just about everything. Raven was also as stormy as she was calm. Sex with her was like a drug, it was a feast to a starving man, it was heaven in hell. To manage to get that storm in her to break loose and come crashing through the world with the force of a natural disaster like a tsunami or hurricane, there was nothing more amazing.

Slowly he trailed his fingers over her spine as he felt her shiver and burrow deeper into the pillow, he chuckled at her stubbornness to remain asleep which had him leaning over as he pressed a light kiss to her shoulder. She didn't move. Emboldened, Jason wondered just how far he'd have to go to wake the demoness in his bed.

Slowly his hands trailed over Raven's curves.

Raven, unlike Kara who was that curvy, classic, petite, blonde or Kori who was that curvy, voluminous, exotic, redhead, was small. Raven was a slight, curvy, long legged, small woman who was built like a ballerina, she had ash colored skin, hair which was dark as a raven with a purple tint to it, and her dark eyes were mesmerizing. Raven wasn't exotic, she wasn't gorgeous, she wasn't even sexy, but she was beautiful in such a quiet way it was overlooked by all.

He loved her curves, he loved the smooth dips of them and how they fitted her slight form. Kissing her pulse he got a quiet, sleepy moan from her and he lightly nipped her pulse.

"Jay…?" she sighed.

"Just relax," he breathed in her ear. She shivered a bit as she turned her head away from him which had him pulling the sheets way from her.

"Sleep, Jay, sex later," she mumbled.

"Not how it works sunshine, you woke in my bed," he kissed the base of her neck as he gingerly traced her slit.

"My bed," she muttered.

"My apartment," he remined her which had her bolting up, her wild bedhead sticking up in every direction and he rolled off her as she looked around.

"What the…? I thought I left?" she muttered.

"Fucked you into oblivion apparently," he pointed out smugly which had the demon turning her glare on him.

"No need to be so vulgar," she stated, but her serious tone was ruined by a yawn which had her falling back into his bed, he rolled over her then.

"Too early in the morning," he reminded her as he lightly kissed her again, his hands sliding to her breasts. Cupping them she arched a bit as she squirmed.

"Shouldn't be here," she muttered.

"Day off," he decided. "Sleeping in," he said as he kissed his way down her neck, deciding to mark her on her collar bone where her uniform would hid it but no other shirt would.

"Asshole's not letting me sleep," she grumbled, her hands were tugging at his hair, he groaned a bit when her legs moved and wrapped around him, brushing his errection.

"You stayed," he reminded her with a sharp nip before he continued his quest.

"Sleepy," she breathed and then gasped as he swirled his tongue over her nipple. He laughed a bit at her irritation as he then took her into his mouth causing her to moan lowly.

"Jason!" she groaned, he fucking loved hearing his name from her. No one ever said it like she did, like it was important, like it mattered, and he fucking loved it. If he wasn't a simple guy, with simple needs, with a complicated family, he'd have actually thought about pursuing more with Raven. She was interesting, in and out of bed, he liked her company, and the sex was fucking amazing. However, she was a Titan and he was Red Hood.

"Please, don't play with me," she whimpered which had him releasing her breast from his mouth.

"And what do you want?" he asked, amused with the sleepy, desperate look on her face.

"Sleep," she suggested which had him dipping a finger into her hot, soaked core. She gasped as she squirmed again.

"You were saying?" he mused.

"Fuck me!" she groaned as he started pumping his fingers into her. Raven, so sensitive, so genuine, so reactive, it was a nice change of pace since she couldn't fake any reaction or hide it from him. And he loved that expression on her face.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Jason!" she snarled, four eyes emerging in irritation and he smiled then as he pulled her over. If he had known that she was this sensitive in the mornings he'd have kept her around through the nights.

"What do you want, love?" he whispered as he grabbed her hips.

"Just fuck me already," she growled. He guided her down, and he moaned as he was enveloped into her heat, she just sighed in bliss until she was fully seated on him.

The way she moved was lazy, but holy fuck he could watch her all fucking day as she moved how she wanted. It was fucking mesmerizing, she could have been a siren rather than a demon, fucking beautiful like this. She whimpered a bit, he felt her frustration lash out as glass on a picture shattered, he caught her hips and rolled her into the bed. Hooking a leg up he stared down at her wide eyes.

"What do you want?" he repeated.

"You, fuck me!" she gasped. He kissed her, only too happy to oblige. She screamed, he felt everything as she let her emotions run rampant. His place was going to be a wreck, but he didn't fucking care because he was so close. He let out a shout when everything finally came crashing down on him, drowning him as white drowned out his sight.

They woke at noon again, there was a knock on his door which had him grumbling in discontent and pulling Raven closer again.

"Jay?" a familiar voice called out.

"Make her go away," Raven muttered.

"Sleeping here," he grumbled.

"Jason!" the girl called out some more.

"Just go get rid of her," Raven yawned as she squirmed.

"You wanted to sleep," he pointed out with a heavy breath.

"Mmm… I want a shower, get rid of her and you can join," Raven smiled sleepily. He was out of his bed, pulling on his pants as he walked to the door and pulled it open to the perky blonde there.

"Hey!" Kara smiled.

"What is it?" he asked as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to hang out today," she smiled brightly.

"Day off," he answered as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"Oh… we could…" she started.

"It's a sleep day Kara," he answered. "Alone," he emphasized since the shower wasn't running.

"Oh, I understand," she nodded. He just shut the door and sighed. He hadn't slept with Kara in over six months, and he hadn't touched Kori in about seven months. If he was going to have to deal with old lovers showing up here now he was moving. Walking back to his bed he saw Raven curled up in the center of the bed, his red t-shirt pulled over her head and he stopped for a moment.

This was perfection.

With that in mind he crawled back in bed, arm falling around Raven's waist.

"No shower?" he murmured.

"Sleep," she hummed.

"Good plan," he yawned again.

"Hmmm…. I'll leave in a minute," she promised.

"Just stay," he replied.

"I'll stay," she whispered and he was sound asleep again. It felt good to just be here, to sleep. Raven was there when he woke again at dusk, she didn't move and he wondered if perhaps it would be worth it if they were more than fuck buddies.


	9. 9 Hugging

**Hugging…**

 

They were doomed. It was all he could think as he dangled from the ceiling, also tethered to the floor to secure that he could not fly. Not to mention the explosives which were tamper proof set at the bases of the teather, the platinum chains binding him and the fact he was spread eagle without his tools, his gear, or his shit. There was no moving, and he, his brothers, and Roy were dangling like this helplessly. The Kryptonians were locked up with kryptonite, Star was sedated, Beast Boy was in a strange container which shrunk and grew no matter the animal size he shifted into, and Cyborg was currently dismantled, his human self on life support at this moment.

Frowning Dick examined the locks, but they'd been smart about the locks and had two of them on his forearm plus the one on his wrist. The only members of the Titans or Outlaws whom had yet to be captured, were Raven and his wayward brother, Red Hood (a.k.a. Jason Todd). And to be perfectly honest, Raven would do something rational, like outsourcing to the League for help, or Bruce, while Jason… well, Dick was betting that Jason was going to try to come storming in, guns blazing, and all hell breaking loose before he too was caughter.

"We're fucked," Dick muttered as he let his head dangle.

"Raven and Red are coming," Damian muttered.

"No, they aren't," he sighed. "And even if Hood does come in here bullets flying and shit, how long do you think he can stand alone against a fucking A.R.G.U.S. army!?"

Yes, Dick was mad enough to be swearing. It was always the redheads which got him into trouble, and they wouldn't be in this mess if he hadn't blindly helped a stranger and walked into a trap.

"It's cute that you think you were our target," said redhead (whom had claimed to be named Noel) mused from her perch.

"We're after the Hood," Waller said walking out.

"What?" Tim stuttered as they blinked.

"Yes, you're merely bait," Waller smiled as she moved herself towards them. Dick frowned. "He'll do anything for his brothers now. Before he'd have killed you all on site, he was reckless, uncontrollable, and unpredictable without a weakness or moral. Now he's got a weakness again, family. He will come for you, and when he does he will be caught and you will be set free."

"And what makes you think that that's how it will go, your guys manage catching the most powerful Titan," Damian smugly pointed out.

"Ah, Rachel Roth, better known as Raven, she's passive, hardly a threat and she will not endanger her precious control on her emotions by coming for you," Waller stated smugly.

"Now that's just fucking insulting, wouldn't you say little bird?" a voice called out from the shadows and everyone tensed.

"Agreed," a monotone answered as the room seemed to darken as a chill spread over them. Dick shuddered as that primal fear in him raced down his spine and his eyes wildly scanned the surrounding shadows. But there was a scream of a man, four narrow red eyes loomed overhead. There were shots fired and a manic laugh.

"Neat trick sunshine," Jason's voice teased, every soldier in the place was tense.

"Don't call me that," Raven answered.

"What do you say we teach them some manners about insulting a lady's honor?" Jason cackled.

"Are you going to defend my honor now Red?" Raven asked stepping out of the shadows.

"It's a gentleman's duty, and Agent A would have my head if I didn't do that at the very least," Jason mused appearing beside Raven. Dick just blinked at how casual they seemed to be as they stood there.

"Very well then, I will collect our friends," Raven stated.

"I'll save some for you," Jason said.

"Very well, I have a passive reputation to fix," Raven said icily, the shadows moved.

"Well don't just stand there! Catch him," Waller shouted. Jason cackled as he leapt up, guns drawn, Raven pulled back, slipping into the shadows when a large bird flew from them. Dick just stared at them as they moved. The chaos Jason instigated as he laughed, firing and twisting through the air, Raven's shadows occasional giving him a step or a shield as she flew down to the Kryptonians.

"Get them out of here!" Jason shouted. Raven disappeared as did her shadows.

"You're alone now," Waller said, standing in a safe box.

"That's what you think bitch," Jason countered. Dick felt the cool hands of Raven on his wrist then as she used her magic to break the chains, Dick leapt over her into the fray of Jason's whirlwind of a fight.

"So you and Rae?" Dick asked as he sprung off Jason's shoulders to catch a guard with his knees as he twisted around to land on the ground, snatching up a baton.

"She's fucking pissed, Waller shot her," Jason shouted as he slid low, Dick rolled out of the way of the bullets being shot and the bodies dropping.

"You two seemed to have done this before," Dick commented as he smashed his fist into the gut of one guy before twisting up on the man out of the path of a bullet.

"We have," Jason stated as they stood back to back.

"What!?" Dick shouted and Jason laughed before Dick again was springing off Jason at the coming guards. "When!?"

"Well, first there was her brothers, then Trigon, then the Church of Blood, Court of Owls, League of Assassins, and hey, shit happens!" Jason mused as they now stood in the carnage of a tactical assault.

"You… Raven and you?" Dick asked stupefied.

"Sure, took her on a date the night she was shot," Jason shrugged.

"No shit?" Dick blinked.

"First date too," Jason stated absently. They looked up at Waller, Dick noticed that Raven had collected all the teams now and the only one remaining, standing, other than them was Waller.

"That all you got!?" Jason called out.

"No," Waller started, but froze. Jason grinned maliciously and Dick shuddered as the wall behind Waller became blacker than a Gotham night, the four red eyes emerged again.

"Should we stop her?" Dick asked.

"Remember Dr. Light?"

Yeah."

"Then let her be," Jason shrugged. There was an all-consuming blackness, Raven's demon snarl and Dick winced hearing a cry of true pain and terror. Then the blackness receeded before Raven's soul self landed in front of them, and she looked up at them with large white glowing eyes before the glow also faded.

"Everyone is safe," Raven stated.

"You're dating Jason?" Dick asked then as Raven opened a portal and froze.

"Uh…" she fidgeted and blushed, Dick felt her hesitance and her slight joy through their empathy link and he grinned.

"This is great!" Dick shouted and he caught them both by surprise in a tight, (super rare, almost extinct with them), much needed and deserved hug.

Jason had been a kid who had kept everyone at arms length away, emotionally and physically, even after his death. Dick got it, to some extent, Jason had rarely ever had good human physical contact and that hadn't changed for a long time. Dick knew he was a bit better about it because of Roy and Kori.

Raven however had been elusive and with her empathy she had strove not to have contact with people. She didn't like the intake of emotions which weren't hers', and Dick got it to an extent. But at some point he just didn't care and would hug her if he felt she needed it because everyone needed hugs.

"THE HELL!?" Jason shouted as he struggled to escape the hug Raven just stiffened in his arms.

"You two are not out of this, but this is awesome, and Jason, you fuck this up I'll kick your ass," Dick warned, keeping them both trapped in the hug.

"Whatever Dickhead! Let go!" Jason squirmed.

"Never! I will be telling your grandkids about this day, forever and ever!" Dick decided.

"Grandkids!?" Raven and Jason shouted simultaneously.

"Of course! You're going to be perfect for each other!" Dick decided firmly as he released them and stepped back. He meant it, he truly did. he didn't remove his hands from their shoulders as he looked them both over.

"I'll shot him, you send him to another dimension and we say it was an accident, love," Jason blurted out to Raven just nodded.

"You won't!" Dick decided as he kept them trapped and slung arms around the both of them.

"The hell we won't!" Jason argued.

"I know a dimension with no women," Raven piped up.

"Good, send him there!" Jason shouted as he tried to escape, but Dick held firm on the larger young man.

"I want to know all about how this started!" Dick decided.

"NO!" they both shouted at him, he laughed.

"I can't wait for the wedding!" he decided. This would be a good thing for them.

"There'll be no wedding!" they both snapped at him.

"And let me go!" Jason roared.

"Never!" Dick declared as he took to wrapping himself around Jason firmly, and releasing Raven who was quick to put herself out of reach.

"What the hell circus freak!? Raven!"

"You are on your own."

"Some friend you are!" Jason growled as they all fell through Raven's portal.

"AH! You're friends too! Even better!"

"I'm going to kill you Dick!"


	10. 10 Watching the Other Sleep

**Watching the Other Sleep…**

Bolting up in a cold sweat he gasp desperately as he looked around wildly, the all too familiar terror of a nightmare pounding in his ears and body had him tense and on edge.

There was a muffled noise behind him which had him scrambling back, his hand grabbing the knife he kept under the pillow when he stopped.

The empath lay there, on her stomach, sound asleep, her tat was showing from the shirt which had ridden up and her legs were spread out, the blanket a tangled mess around her and she was shivering. He softened slightly as he rubbed his face over and sighed.

He wasn't wherever the nightmare had dragged him to, he was here, in her apartment, and safe. Dragging a shaky hand through his hair he set his knife aside and just trembled. One would think that after all these years he'd be over the nightmares, but nope. They came raging in on him when he least expected it and robbed him of his sleep. It was hell, a different hell from what he'd lived through, but a hell all the same. Getting out of the bed he walked to her kitchen, their dirty dishes were in the sink and he just started doing them, it kept his hands busy. Then he got the water he wanted before he walked back to the bed and sat down on the edge of it.

For a long time he just watched her, watched the rise and fall of her breathing and he counted her breaths too.

He and Raven hadn't been dating long, he'd only asked to stay the night because of a blizzard raging outside. Else he'd have taken the train back to Gotham and to his place. Instead he'd asked to stay, too tired to take the train at this hour, and Raven had said yes.

No, he hadn't had sex with her. Not that the thought hadn't crossed his mind, but he knew she hesitated with sex, her powers, and emotions. He found he could follow Raven's lead on intimacy in their relationship. He'd never dealt with a virgin, and he actually liked Raven's company. She was calming, he was always in a state of chaos and Raven was calm. Jason liked that about her, he could just be himself; no matter how dangerous, chaotic, or wild that was, he could just be himself and she accepted that. He, in turn, accepted that Raven was always calm, or worked at it, almost emotionless, and if given the choice between company and a book; the book won.

"Jay?" she mumbled as she turned her head to him.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Nightmare?" she asked as she shifted onto her side.

"Yes," he admitted.

"Mmmm," she hummed. "You were thrashing, I could… calm you?" she said uncertainly.

"I'm fine," he lied as he set the glass aside and laid down.

"There's no shame in accepting help," she mumbled sleepily.

"Rae… I…" he couldn't scare her off. She, aside from being his girlfriend, was slowly becoming a real friend to him.

"I'm an empath, it's not going to scare me," she murmured as she pulled herself into his side.

"I'm sorry," he murmured and hugged her tight. She just nodded and he felt the cooling feel of calm flood his blood and sooth his frazzled nerves.

"It's alright," she yawned and was sound asleep again. He pulled the twisted covers over them again and he stared at her for a long while. He had never had anyone do that for him.

And it scared him how easily Raven had done it and slipped under his guard and he was letting her.

He needed to leave!

He just stared at her sleeping though, he didn't want to leave.


	11. 11 Drawing Each Other

**Drawing Each Other…**

Art was Damian's forte, it was not hers'. Raven blamed Kori for the ridiculousness of this project, and Damian hadn't helped the matter. No, Damian had actually said it would be fun! Damian Wayne! Spawn of the Devil! Had actually said something would be fun!

Raven had merely relented because Kori, and her boyfriend Roy, were so damn annoying when they wanted something. Kori and Roy could out annoy even the most stubborn of people when they set their mind to it. And they had annoyed Raven all summer, and Damian hadn't helped.

Now it was Thanksgiving, she was halfway through the art class, and she was mortified at the midterm assignment. Draw nude! Of the opposite sex!

Oh Azar!

Raven was embarrassed beyond belief, so much so her powers were a bit haywire. See, at twenty-two she was a virgin (and in all honesty she was probably going to die a virgin), hadn't even seen a naked guy (and given the fact most her teammates were guys and she had lived with them since she was thirteen, that was quite the feat), and she was too embarrassed to ask a guy she knew, or sit in the class for the study. And with how her embarrassment was running rampant, and her powers were reacting to her emotions, it was safer for everyone that she didn't sit in the study.

Which brought her to where she was as she nervously walked the street of Gotham to the one guy she knew who wasn't going to be off put by her rampant emotions, and might be comfortable enough to endure a nude study. Raven was going to ask Jason Todd for this favor, and in exchange, she was never taking an art class again. Ever! Kori and Roy would never wear her down again, she would never do this.

Now, why would she ask Jason Todd, a virtual stranger to her, to do this for her? Well, it was simple really. Dick was dating Barbara Gordon and Raven wasn't asking him because he'd say yes and Barbara would say no. She couldn't ask Tim, it was just to weird; especially since Damian would demand to see the drawing. She would not ask Garfield for the same reasons she wasn't asking Dick, he was dating Terra; also, unlike Barbara, Terra hated her guts and it simply wasn't worth the fight. She wouldn't ask Roy, because Roy would rope Kori into doing it as well, and Raven really didn't need to see her best girl friend naked and draped over her naked boyfriend. And she couldn't ask Victor because Victor was 'naked all the time' (she'd gone to Victor first for help and until he said that she'd never thought about him as walking around naked).

Which brought her to Jason, who was age appropriate, comfortable enough and familiar with her powers, and able to keep his mouth shut about her embarrassment and the project in general. Damian would never know, and Raven could escape the mortification of having to face a naked stranger.

Hesitantly she reached Jason's building to his main safe house. She hoped he was here, her empathy was ascue because of her turbulent emotions. There was a loud pop on a streetlap as a bulb shattered and Raven cursed her powers and her luck. Perhaps her father could chose now as the convient time to show up and devour her.

She pressed the buzzer for Jason's apartment (she'd only found his safe house because she snooped through Damian's room at the Tower knowing he'd have the information).

"What?" a gruff voice growled through the speaker.

"It's Raven, can we talk?" she asked flatly, and as calmly as she could manage. The door buzzed and unlocked, she walked in and slowly made her way up to his apartment. She stood outside his door willing herself to knock, and for five minutes she tried to take the step forward, the sound of something shattering in an apartment had her jumping and knocking on the door.

"What is it?" Jason opened the door and yawned.

"Can I come in?" she asked. Something shattered in his apartment and she winced. "Sorry."

"Yeah, get in," he sighed and then he locked the door behind her as he set his trap again.

"I… I need to ask a favor of you," she said hesitantly. He nodded as he stretched and walked past her to his kitchen. "Please don't… laugh? Or tease me about it," she pleaded.

"Speak little bird," he ordered.

"I need to ask you to let me use you as a nude model for my art midterm!" she blurted out and the glass he had pulled down shattered just as he set it down. He blinked.

"That's you, right?"

"Yes, sorry," she winced again as she rubbed her temples.

"Alright, why are you shattering stuff, you have better control than this, and what's this about an art project? I just woke up sunshine, go slow," he ordered as he rubbed his eyes.

"I'm embarrassed, and they've been out of control for a week, I need to draw a nude guy for my mid term," she explained.

"Don't they have a model for that?" he asked as he pulled out a kettle and started filling it.

She gestured to the broken glass.

"Right, and you're asking me why?" he asked.

"Because you're the only one I know who will either laugh in my face and say nor or say yes and never make a big deal out of it," Raven answered.

"Uh… sure," he shrugged as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Thank you!" she squeaked as a picture shattered behind her.

"When's this thing due?" he asked as he set the kettle to boil.

"Three days from now," she muttered in disgust. She hated this project, she hadn't even started it and she hated it.

"Kay," he yawned tiredly, it was now that she noticed the bruising on his face, and his arms. Now she felt bad about coming to him, however she was very at ease.

The next afternoon she came over Jason was very relaxed as he settled comfortably, and selected a book to read, she noticed that all his glass things were gone and she was a bit relieved as she settled in to draw him.

She knew her face was on fire the entire time, and Jason acted indifferent to his nudity when he talked to her. He'd talk sports, books, guns, books, movies, food, books, and ask her a few questions. She felt too embarrassed to talk, so she'd nod, hum, and the few times she did manage to talk it was in fast sentences answering his questions. By the evening though she'd relaxed and the light was dying so she was done, Jason grabbed pants, and she stared at his back; which she hadn't noticed all day, and looked over the scars slashing across his skin.

"Thank you Jason," she finally said.

"You owe me," he warned.

"Whatever you want within reason," she promised.

"Dinner and a movie," he stated and she blinked.

"Huh?"

"In exchange for a drawing, which I fully expect to either be destroyed or hidden away so the Bats will never see it after your midterm is completed, I want dinner and a movie," he said.

"Alright?" she said uncertainly.

"Good," he smiled like a cat who had just swallowed the canary and Raven was pretty sure he was up to something as she left to go home. Tomorrow she'd put the finishing touches on the drawing and be done with it never to see it again! Not that Jason was a bad specimen, quite the opposite really, but Raven didn't want to keep the drawing. She felt weird enough drawing it, keeping it was just… too weird. She'd probably toss it in the Nevermore to be never seen again, the Nevermore was a safe place to hide things.

* * *

Jason didn't draw, he doodled, he doodled a lot this evening as he smirked over the images of little bird's red face running through his head.

See, one of his favorite people to doodle, when he was bored out of his mind, was Raven. And it wasn't because she was a boring person that he selected her for his doodles, it was because she was so contained. Raven's face was the ultimate poker face. And he loved drawing her micro expressions, they were challenging enough to notice but to capture them was damn near impossible.

Today had been some of the most fun he'd had in a year. Raven sitting there all twitchy and nervous, yet composed as she drew. It was fun just watching her. Asking for dinner and a movie was improv, one hundred percent because the moment the mere suggestion had left his mouth he'd been shocked.

Her face thought… completely worth it. The skeptical, elusive, poker faced Raven. She intrigued him, not many ever had. Also he liked her company, found her to be very beautiful, and she was interesting. All the more reason to chase her, not that he knew exactly what he was chasing just yet. But he was going to chase Raven down.

He looked at the doodle of a blushing Raven and smirked.

This was going to be entertaining.


	12. 12 Having a Lazy Day

**Having a Lazy Day…**

In their chosen professions, lazy days were a rarity. A real rarity.

It was almost as rare as Arkham actually holding a prisoner. So, Jason wasn't questioning his luck at having a day off, with his girl, and laying in the morning sun on the grass, in the park with a book. It was Raven's idea for their date, a reading date as she'd called it; and he just happened to have a new novel he was aching to read. She was currently his pillow as she lay on her stomach with her feet crossed in the air.

"We should buy groceries," Raven muttered.

"I'm not moving," he warned her. "The moment either of us move to do something serious is the moment something will happen and I'm not putting my book down until I finish it."

"Agreed," she replied solemnly. The best thing about dating a bookworm, and happening to be a booklover too, was that they understood the need to finish the fucking book! No one in the Bats, aside from maybe Alfred, understood the need to finish the book, and Jason liked finishing his books.

Which was why, laying the park's grass, in Gotham (because he'd managed to coax Raven to coming to visit him in Gotham for the weekend, they'd been commuting, but usually he just went to New York where she went to school), using Raven's small back as his pillow as he read his book.

'Your family might see us,' she had argued, and since Jason knew how Bruce felt about metas and knew a demon was so much worse than a meta he'd let that argument work before. However, Dick and Kori were expecting a kid and that made every 'I don't trust metas' argument Bruce had invalid. Which was why Jason had resorted to a low blow on Raven's pride.

'Are you scared of a human Bat?' he had asked her, she was there in an hour. She'd come to prove she wasn't intimidated, just like he knew she would. And he had even cleaned up his preferred safe house for her weekend here, only to remember he didn't have food. However, today was too good of a day to go shopping and enduring Gotham's insanity.

Besides, demon brat, Replacement and Agent A all knew he was dating Raven (simply because they had accidentally stumbled across their dating, at different various times), so her coming to Gotham was natural. No, he had not told Dick or Bruce, if he'd told them they'd have scared off Raven, and coaxing the pretty little bird to be with him was challenging enough.

Dick would scare Raven off with his openness, Dick and Raven while good friends, were very different people, and Dick was an open guy who would start dragging him and Raven around on double dates and stuff and Raven would bolt. Truthfully Jason would bolt to, it'd be too much pressure for them when they were figuring this thing out.

As to Bruce, Bruce would pull his disapproving father routine (not that he had any fucking right to do that, at least with Jason, in his mind) and Raven would bolt, thinking she was ruining things between him and his family. Raven took family seriously and she didn't like messing with other's families. And Jason would probably pursue her, she'd say 'no' thinking he was doing it to piss off Bruce and that would be the end of that.

Jason and Raven were cautious, not just about their relationship but approaching it. Honestly, it was so natural it freaked them both out, and it was precious enough that they both approached it like a carefully drawn up battle plan. It'd been this way for about a year, and slowly he found they were something steady, he'd have bolted, but Raven was also ready to bolt so he stuck around.

Fucking abandonment issues, they both had it and they were both careful with their relationship because of it.

And getting Raven here, for a weekend, and actually having a lazy day with her… well, it was like winning the fucking lottery in his mind and he was not going to jeopardize that. So, to keep the very good, happy, peaceful, lazy day going, he was just going to lay here with his girl and read his book as she read hers'. It was a good morning, and quiet as Gotham cautiously attacked it's day, the park would fill in the afternoon, but right now it was peaceful. Which was why the first boot to kick his ribs had him and Raven jumping as they looked at the batbrat.

"What are you two doing?" he asked.

"Reading date," they answered.

"Tt, ridiculous" Damian snorted.

"If that's all you have to say, go away," Jason ordered as he again settled with Raven as his pillow and she turned her undivided attention on the book.

"I draw here!" Damian snapped.

"Large park, we were here first, go elsewhere," Jason warned.

"Be nice," Raven ordered.

He didn't reply to his girlfriend as he resumed reading. Damian was gone the next time he looked up and Jason rolled his eyes. It was Saturday, no school, but Bruce letting the little assassin out, alone into Gotham was unbelievable, mostly because Bruce didn't let them into the city alone. But it wasn't his concern, he wasn't Bruce's kid, and he was a grown man capable of making his own decisions. Jason and Raven lay there in companionable silence, their positions shifting a little as they read.

It was around noon when he felt hungry and he peeked at Raven who was using him as her pillow now.

"Food?" he asked her.

"Is something going to explode?" she wryly asked.

"Fair point, we can skip lunch, I'll make a huge dinner," he agreed. This was Gotham, and it was a quiet day, the moment he moved to get them lunch at a hotdog vender or something the bank would be robbed. He shifted when Raven sat up and he used her lap as a pillow.

"Master Jason, Master Damian said you and Miss Raven were here," Alfred appeared which had him putting his book on his chest as he blinked dumbly at the butler.

"Uh…" Jason started.

"Did we do something?" Raven hissed at him.

"Not that I know of," he replied.

"No, you didn't, but as you and Miss Raven are here I must insist you come to the Manor for dinner," Alfred said.

"Sure," Raven answered for him.

"Hey!"

"You don't have food in that fridge, and if we get up something will happen to ruin our lazy day, dinner plans ensure lazy day," Raven said, never looking up from her book.

"Clever, but you'll deal with Bruce," he warned her.

"If nothing explodes I don't care," Raven answered.

"Glad to see Miss Raven is forcing you to take a day off," Alfred smiled a bit.

"Not forced," they answered. "It's just a coincidence nothing has happened."

"I see, well, I will leave you to your lazy day, dinner is at six o'clock," Alfred said as he walked off.

"Good book?" he asked her.

"Excellent, yours?"

"Great."

The silence ensued, and Jason did not move as the afternoon sun beat on them in the relative safety of the tree they had settled under.

"Wow, Damian said you two hadn't moved but I didn't think you'd be here," a voice said, sounding a amused.

"Next time we stay at the apartment," Raven said.

"Go away Replacement," Jason said as he turned the page of his book. "Lazy day here and Bats attract trouble, leave now."

"See you two love birds at dinner then!" Tim laughed.

"Any other relatives you'd like to spring on me?" Raven asked.

"We've been here since," he looked at his phone then and noted the missed calls from Dick and Barbara, and then looked at Raven. "We've been here since eight, it's three o'clock, we're lucky that Bruce hasn't found us."

"Mmm, reading," Raven said. He agreed as he opened his book again and resumed his story. It was nice, having lazy days, but more than that it was nice actually getting to read.

"Raven!" a loud, happy voice boomed which had him and Raven bolting up from their shade; they'd been playing follow the shadow.

"Slow down Kori!" Dick shouted.

"It is glorious to see you Raven!" Kori was hugging Raven and Jason was about to leap into a tree when Dick appeared.

"Jason!?" Dick looked shocked.

"Uh… surprise? Seriously, just one day with my girlfriend and no family would be nice," he muttered as he scowled at his book page number, he was about a hundred pages from the end. Rats, and the moment dinner was over there was going to be some fucking emergency and the lazy day he and Raven had been enjoying would be shot to hell.

"Wait? You two are dating!?" Dick asked.

"Yes! Raven said she had a boyfriend, I am most pleased that it is you Jason!" Kori announced gleefully.

"It's five-thirty, we should head to the Manor for dinner now," Jason muttered as he stood, he offered Raven a hand and she took it. "Yes, Dickhead, we're dating."

"About a year," Raven said.

"Does the family know!?"

"Alfred, Replacement and Demon Spawn," Jason answered dryly and Raven slammed an elbow in his ribs.

"But not Bruce, Kori we're going to the family dinner! This is going to be great!" Dick announced.

And there went the lazy day.

Wrapping an arm around Raven's waist they walked and Dick and Kori enthusiastically filled them in on everything. The lazy day they had had was now dead.

But it'd been nice having a lazy day. He'd have to make sure they did it more often. But next time he was going to New York for it. No bad shit like Bats or explosions happened in New York.

There was an explosion behind them and Raven sighed.

"I told you once we got up there'd be an explosion," she muttered.

He laughed as he kissed her temple and hauled her to the subway before they were dragged into a conflict. It was a lazy day!


	13. 13 In A Fairy Tale

**In a Fairy Tale…**

Raven's life was never a fairy tale, far from it, she would best equate her life as a nightmare and happily never wish it upon anyone.

Her brief, New York Minute relationship with Garfield had been a nightmare, they'd been too young, and he'd been in love with someone else. Her attempt at normalcy had been ruined epically by her brothers. Her death, which she'd greeted with grace, had been thwarted when she'd been summoned back. And she'd nearly been married to a lunatic who wanted her to be the vessel for his heir so he could summon her father back!

Fairy Tales did not happen for her, not for half demons capable of genocide. No.

However, her relationship with one slightly insane, charming, deceptively smart, volatile Jason Todd proved to be a bit too good to be true.

They'd started out as strenuous friends when they'd teamed up to save the Outlaws and the Titans. They'd started dating because of an end world bet he'd made with Damian; which he lost. They'd moved into together when her apartment had caught fire and she had absolutely nowhere to go. And he'd proposed precisely seven months ago.

Now, all of that, combine with Jason unpredictable, slightly volatile nature did not sound ideal; at least not when she said it out loud.

However, nearly three years of dating, seven years of friendship, it'd been the best thing in her life. She truly meant that, Jason Todd, was the best thing in her life since the Titans. He drove her nuts, but he was also sweet, thoughtful, exceedingly charming when he wanted something, and a true gentleman. Not in words though, Jason out swore everyone on the planet, but he was a true gentleman in actions and she appreciated that more than his words. Also, he made her feel alive, Azar did he make her feel alive. He did not treat her like she was a ticking time bomb, but rather like a person, and so few did that it was precious.

But that brought her to today as she nervously fidgeted in the dressing room and looked at the dress.

It was her wedding day, a day she truly never thought would happen. And it was… Azar it was terrifying. Honestly she was expecting an alien invasion or her brothers to come crashing in, or an attack from the Joker. No day was ever as good as today as she nervously bit her lip and looked at the dress, her fingers spread over the material and she wondered if this was alright, if she was allowed this happiness.

The wedding was small, just the Titans, and the Waynes. Jason didn't have many friends, and neither did she, however they had family who wanted to come.

Jason had been legally alive for a few years, he'd actually gone to Bruce about that after the entire thing with Waller. Bruce had helped legally undo his death, Jason never really got over the fact that he'd actually been dead, and likely never would.

But the point was, today Jason Todd was legally marrying one Rachel Roth, a nobody from New York. The paparazzi were swarming the gate and there'd been helicopters overhead until Bruce had made a call. Everyone was in love with Jason's story, him coming back from the dead and falling in love, Raven found it weird, but Jason had a good laugh about it.

A Gotham Prince was marrying the Princess of Hell, Raven had laughed when he'd put that on their wedding invitations and she had let him get away with it solely because it was true and he didn't mean it as an insult.

Now though she was wishing they'd just done a courthouse wedding as she nervously looked at herself in mirror. Her black hair was drawn up in a simple style, her make-up was in the natural colors, and her pale skin was almost as white as her dress. She felt… scared. And the angry red gem on her brow; where her father was sealed, was whispering cruel realities in her mind. But Raven stood there assessing herself.

Her dress was simple, loose, it was open back, revealing the tiny raven tat she had on the small of her back, and it was sleeveless. There was a knock on the door of the Manor room she was hiding out in and she jumped as she whirled around.

"Just making certain the bride hasn't bolted," Victor grinned as he walked in.

"Um…" she started.

"I'll have the car in five and lover boy a message in ten if needed," Vic offered.

"Thanks but…" she shook her head and sat on the bed.

"Hey, Rae, it's your day, you're supposed to be happy," Victor said.

"I am!" she said suddenly. "It's just… the first date we ever had I caught fire when a waiter knocked a candle over. Two weeks after I moved in he was shot, by a would be robber. And the day he proposed Joker attacked! I'm…"

"Ah, well if it makes you feel better we've got top security, everyone here is on alert, and Jason isn't worried about it," Vic smiled.

Raven snorted.

"Of course he isn't worried about it, he had a bomb in a box under his bed for a week and was perfectly calm about it," she muttered.

"Rae, it'll be fine, and what happened to the bomb?"

"He used it two days after I moved in," she said. But that was the point, Jason just flat out didn't worry, about anything! Their kitchen table was where he would have parts for everything from bombs, to cars. Jason was the guy who'd be smoking while rigging up dynamite and be perfectly alright with it and not see what everyone was freaking out about.

"Nothing's going to happen, I'll be perfect, I promise," Victor assured her.

"I hope not, but it's Jason, I'm marrying a hurricane," she muttered. Victor laughed and kissed her head.

"It'll all be alright, you and Jason are good together, seriously, you seem to ground him and he makes you smile, really smile, and I can't hate a guy who does that for my baby sister," Victor assured her. "Oh, and he survived your cooking, he's the perfect guy for you."

"Thank Azar he can cook, we'd starve if he couldn't," she muttered.

"See, it'll be fine, and Bruce asked me to bring you this," Victor said.

"Bruce?" Raven asked skeptically. Bruce Wayne was not thrilled about her dating his son, or being engaged. Even if he'd offered the Manor for the wedding she knew that was only because he wanted Jason close, and it was probably Alfred's idea. "Bruce Wayne who has made his continual disapproval of Jason and I being friends and dating, has something for me? A prenup?" she asked.

"No," Vic shook his head. Raven frowned, Bruce had asked that she and Jason have a prenup drawn up, Jason had taken offense to that and snapped and snarled furiously about it for a month while they'd looked at venues. Bruce had come back the following month and offered the Manor as a venue, Raven had only agreed because she saw the olive branch being extended and it ensured that Bruce would see Jason married.

"Then what?" Raven asked.

"These, he asked me about it a month ago, I didn't think he'd do it, but he's asked me to give you these. They're an olive branch Rae," Victor said as he pulled out a case from his jacket pocket, in his image inducer he looked normal. But she knew he hated wearing the inducer and the monkey suit, he was doing it for her today.

"These are for you," Victor opened the case and Raven's eyes widened.

"Me?"

"Yes, I told him no white, you aren't fond of white, but I said black pearls you liked," he said as he pulled it from the case. Raven liked black pearls, she'd always thought them to be prettier than white, there were so many hues and colors in black pearls.

"I can't…" Raven started.

"Just take the necklace, Rae, it's your day, and it's his peace offering since he's royally pissed off Jason repeatedly with the topic of your relationship," Victor said.

"And you know all this… how?" she asked.

"Alfred," Vic grinned.

"I see," Raven nodded as Victor finished the clasp.

"There, now, are you ready?" Victor asked.

"Um… yes," she smiled a bit as she accepted Victor's offered arm, Victor was the one giving her away today and she was so happy he was here.

They made it to the backyard and Raven took a nervous breath as Victor handed her the flowers. Wayne Manor was a fairy tale castle, and the gardens were ethereal, and that was on a normal day. Today though, the music cued up and Raven reluctantly watched as her bridesmaids: Stephanie, Barbara, and Kori, all walked out. Victor patted her hand when they got near the door.

"He's not bolting Raven," Victor whispered.

She smiled just seeing him at the end of the aisle, looking uncomfortable and nervous. Roy was his best man, with Dick and Tim insisting they be groomsmen (hence why Raven had asked Stephanie and Barbara to be her bridesmaids). Everyone stood (all forty people), when she walked out and Victor grinned encouragingly at her. Raven just smiled at Jason and hoped she didn't trip with her nerves.

"It's like a fairy tale," she mused to Victor when she finally noticed all the decorations when they'd reached the priest.

"It's your fairy tale, Rae," Victor promised and she smiled at the man who was like her brother as he handed her to Jason, and she smiled at Jason who still looked uncomfortable and fidgety. He was never one for being in the spotlight or in a tux, she thought it nice though that he actually dressed the part today.

"Hey," he smiled a bit.

"Hey," she smiled back as the ceremony started. The moment the priest said 'you can kiss the bride' Raven was actually waiting for an explosion or something instead of her new husband's kiss.

There was no explosion as people clapped and she smiled when he pulled away.

"Thank God," he muttered when they finally walked into the manor. "Nothing ever goes as planned."

"You were expecting the explosion too?" Raven asked.

"Gunfire or Assassins, or your demon brothers actually," he smiled. She laughed.

"Today is my fairy tale," she repeated Victor's words and Jason just laughed as he pulled her close and kissed her brow while they walked to the Wayne Manor ball room for the reception.

"Yes it was," he agreed as he seated her and Raven just smiled feeling happy, the lights brightened as everyone came in for the food.

She was in a fairy tale today, and it was likely a onetime deal compared to everything else that happened in her life. But she was so happy as Jason took her hand and the speeches and talks started.


	14. 14 Closet Potterheads

**Closet Potterheads…**

Jason Todd was many things:

-Gun/weapons enthusiast (you get murdered, come back to life, live a life of getting shot at and see how you stood on gun use)

-Mechanic (he liked figuring out how shit worked, from bombs to cars, and it helped him be prepared for anything)

-Trained Assassin (perhaps he didn't broadcast that like the brat did but he was an assassin, and demon spawn's own mother had trained him)

-Overall badass (no denying the obvious)

-Detective (not to the degree Replacement was, but he was a detective)

-Reformed Killer (kind of tied in with the gun enthusiast and assassin, however he didn't kill everyone anymore, he was trying to be good again)

-Survivor (he had grown up in Crime Alley, been brutally murdered and blown up, then beaten death and trained by the League of Assassins, he had fucking earned that title)

-And the lunatic dating a interdimensional half-demon/sorceress (and he was called lunatic for this by said girlfriend, and most his family, and their teams)

He Was Not A Geek Or Nerd Though!

Nope, it would ruin the overall badass title he'd earned, he wasn't like Dickhead who loved every possible movie and had every fact for them, he was not like Replacement who loved Comic Con and would dress up for it, and he wasn't like the demon spawn who was in love with Marvel movies and argued about it with the Superbrat. Nope, he was not a Geek, or a Nerd.

He was a book enthusiast though.

He loved classics, horror, mystery, fantasy, adventure, action, humor, nonfiction, fiction, preteen adult, and kid novels, (he'd even read romance if it had a story). Jason had a particular fondness for the Harry Potter novels, they were epic! Even Raven agreed they were awesome, Raven! And he had joined pottermore just simply because he could not get enough of the entire world of Harry Potter, Raven and he had joined at the same time so he didn't feel so weird about it.

He was a Slytherin (yeah, he was still trying to figure that out), but Raven was a Ravenclaw which had him thinking that the test might be a bit accurate. He was a Wampus (which was a bit accurate in his mind), Raven was in Pukwudgie. And yes he had gotten a wand and a patronus, and no he was never telling anyone aside from Raven what he'd gotten. Good thing his girlfriend was just as quiet of a Potterhead as he was else he'd have just felt weird about even mentioning the love of Potter books he had.

But that wasn't what brought him to today as he stood in the frigid cold of New York City's ferocious November, with Raven who had her nose stuck in J.K. Rowling's newest Potter book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child -Parts I & II (the play that he and Raven had raced to read on July 31st when they'd bought it, wisely they bought two copies so they didn't do bodily harm to one another). They were here for the midnight premiere of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He'd surprised Raven with the tickets, he'd bought those far ahead of time, knowing that this movie was going to worth it and worth every hour of the cold he'd endure. Raven had insisted they dress in their house colors, and you know what, he did it because it was fun and it wasn't often he did stupid, dorky things for his girl.

"I'm so excited," Raven smiled as she bounced a little as she looked up as they walked to the door. he chuckled as he kept a hand on the small of her back so he didn't lose her or have her trip because she was reading.

"Apparently, you're making the lights bloom," he mused noticing how everything was brightening with the force of Raven's powers.

"You're excited too, don't deny it," she elbowed him.

"Never said I wasn't," he assured her.

"This is going to be so much fun!" she bounced. Yes, Raven bounced, she didn't do it often but when it came to a book she loved she'd bounce. He got the popcorn and drinks as Raven got their seats; good ones too, up high, and he laughed at her glee as the theatre filled. Jason didn't normally do midnight premieres, however, he was glad he made the exception.

Best fucking movie he'd seen in a long time! The characters, the art, the story, the humor! Jason was plotting a re-watch of it as he walked out with Raven on his arm.

"When can we see it again!?" she whispered excitedly.

"How about after Thanksgiving," he proposed.

"Yes!" she grinned as she continued her bouncing.

"Raven? Jason?" a voice called after them, he and Raven both looked over their shoulders to see Tim, Dick, Stephanie, Damian, Cass, and Barbara.

"What the hell are you doing in New York?" he asked incredulously because he couldn't believe what he was seeing, maybe if he was in Gotham and this happened he wouldn't be so surprised but this was New York City for fucksake!

"The premiere, Wayne appearance," Tim answered. "You?"

"Movie," Raven said as they walked over to his brothers. He wasn't thrilled about this, but Raven was friends with his brothers, and he accepted it with great reluctance. The only reason he wasn't a raging jealous boyfriend was Raven was so fucking indifferent to men and their affections until it came to him. He was pretty sure that she'd never leave him, but there was that small part of him that argued she'd leave one day.

"Oh my God! You're Potterheads!" Stephanie shrieked in delight.

"What!?" he roared. Then remembered the green and silver scarf he was wearing and Raven's blue and silver one, plus Raven was holding her book. Well fuck!

"Awesome! I'm in Gryffindor!" Stephanie shouted.

"I can see," Raven remarked as Stephanie flaunted her red and gold dress, and scarf. Raven was dragged off by Damian, Tim and Stephanie, Cass followed as they chatted.

"Slytherin?" Dick asked with a smile.

"Got a problem with it, Hufflepuff?" Jason growled seeing yellow and black were Dick's colors.

"You're a potterhead!" Barbara giggled.

"Shut up Barbie," he snapped, noting that Barbara was also in Hufflepuff colors.

"Which book was the best?"

"The Seventh, Snape was the best," Jason replied automatically.

"Geek!" Dick announced gleefully.

"I am not!"

"You so are!"

"I will shoot you," Jason warned.

"After all this time?"

"Always!"

"Potterhead!" Dick and Barbara sang.

"I hate you!"


	15. 15 Teaching Each Other How To Do Something

**Teaching Each Other How To Do Something…**

Dating Jason was a learning experience, always.

He taught her so many things, pushed her boundaries, and was endlessly curious. Which was good for her, because while she was curious she was not always brave enough or bold enough to pursue her curiosity. Jason was.

So far, he'd taught her how to dance, something Bruce and Alfred had drilled into him when he'd been adopted. He'd taught her how to take apart a bomb (very useful to know in their line of work). And he'd taught her more than her basic self-defense. She knew she'd taught him Azarathian, he spoke and read it now, and would even swear in it, which was amusing because until he'd been curious she hadn't realized how much she'd missed her home language. She's also taught him about the Lazarus Pit, and how to center himself. And she'd taught him about tea.

Oh, they'd learned a lot together.

However today was one of the days Raven was regretting Jason's love of introducing her to new things as she reluctantly stood beside him as he pulled out bowls.

"I don't cook," she reminded him.

"I know," he answered.

"And your intentions are what?" Raven asked as he got up and started looking through the fridge.

"Well, I cook," he pointed out.

"We know this."

"You don't."

"Yes."

"And I'm not always coming home just because you want waffles," he said.

"That was one time," she argued. It'd been a really bad month that time and she'd called Jason for waffles.

"Yes, but I was in Germany, you were in San Francisco, I thought you were dying with your wining," he stated.

"I wasn't though and I didn't mean to give you that impression," Raven said as she took the milk and eggs as she put them on the counter.

"Rae, I adore you, but aside from me, your teammates will die from your cooking," Jason said.

"I stick to toast," she muttered.

"Mmm, you're learning how to make waffles, if only to ensure that I don't get a call like that again."

"This is a bad idea. I cannot cook," she reminded him.

"You tried once," he said. "And you were following Star's recipe which is never to be done unless you have a cast iron stomach."

"Is that why they live at the Manor?" Raven asked dryly.

"Partially, and partially because Al worries that they'll die of sugar overdose or food poisoning," Jason reminded her with a smile.

"I could just eat at Cy's, he cooks," she offered.

"Rae, no, it's just waffles and it's not that hard, nothing will explode or taste like Kori's cooking," he assured her.

"I don't think this is wise."

"We even have the cheat, bisquick, not that hard," he assured her as he continued pulling things down and she set it on the island. Why ever he was doing this to her she didn't know, and she was sure it was some evil plan of his.

She'd set fire to the place or worse, and she didn't want to even think about the hospital bill for when she accidentally gave him food poisoning! This was a very bad idea.

"This is not a good idea."

"Trust me," he ordered. She did but she didn't trust his vain and stupid faith in her learning how to cook. Even Cy had stated she was hopeless, and she was good with takeout and microwave dinners when Jason wasn't home.

"Alright, we have everything," he said.

"I see that," she muttered looking at the vanilla and wondering why it did not taste as good as it smelled.

"Good, let's get to work," he declared as he handed her the yellow box of bisquick and the measuring cup. "Just follow the directions," he smiled.

"What!? Jason!" she shrieked as he left her and she frowned as she started reading over the box.

2 cups of bisquick, a cup of milk, two eggs, done.

"Good," he grinned. "Now, a bit of this."

He grabbed the vanilla she lunged for him when he just poured it in without measuring.

"Jason!"

"A little of this!" he grinned as he pulled out the sugar! Raven flew for it trying to get it from his. He scooped in two large spoonful's of it.

"Add some butter," he said as he put it in a smaller bowl and put it in the microwave.

"What Are You Doing! The Box Didn't Ask For This!" she shrieked when he poured a bit of maple syrup in it.

"I know, this makes it taste better," he assured her as he grabbed the brown sugar.

"Enough sugar Jason!" she was trying to grab it but he was holding her back, she used her magic then to pull the brown sugar away from him but he dumped a hefty spoonful into the batter.

"Butter's done!" he grabbed it as he poured it in.

"But the recipe!" she tried to grab the cinnamon he snatched up away from him, but he wrapped her up in a firm set of arms.

"Trust me little bird," he grinned.

"You Said Follow The Recipe!" she struggled.

"True, but sometimes you gotta improvise," he assured her as he poured in cinnamon in.

"But!" she protested as she squirmed against him.

"Now all we need is lemon juice!"

"What!? No!" she gasped in horror and he grabbed it from the fridge before she could stop him and poured a fair amount in. she cringed.

"Come on Rae, you need to learn to cook!" he pulled her to him and handed her a hand mixer as he plugged it in.

She gasped when he turned it on as she grabbed the bowl.

"You got it," he smiled as he kissed her temple and then pulled out the waffle iron.

"This is going to turn out horribly," she muttered.

"Have a little faith," he persisted.

"Follow the recipe, he says, then he doesn't, it's going to explode probably," she muttered as she did the mixing, until the batter was consistent. Jason sprayed the iron over with some Pam and then handed her a spoon.

"It'll taste great," he assured her as she spooned the batter onto the hot iron.

"How long?" she asked.

"Until gold!" he said as he pulled out plates and she frowned. That wasn't a time.

He poured syrup into a mug and heated it up in the microwave before he pulled the silverware.

"See, now," he opened the iron and she carefully used her magic to lift it before Jason sprayed the iron over again and put on more batter. Raven buttered her waffle as she sat at the island and she used her powers to pull the syrup from the microwave as she hesitantly started eating.

"Not bad," he grinned.

"They taste like yours," she smiled a bit.

"They are mine, except the bisquick, I don't use that," he huffed.

"Hmm," she hummed.

"Did you learn anything new little bird?" he asked as he served up his waffle.

"You don't follow the recipe," she muttered.

"Think you can cook?"

She shook her head.

"We'll do this again," he assured her.

"No, you cook," she decided as she continued eating the waffle, savoring it's tasty goodness.

"Nice try little bird, we'll do this again."

"You cook," she repeated.

"That's cheating," he muttered.

"I'm only with you for the food," she smiled.

"That's good, cause I'm only here for the sex," he grinned devilishly and she felt herself blush against her will.

"Fair trade," she grumbled.

"I thought so too," he said as he sat with her and gave her a glass of milk. She nodded her thanks as she sipped it.

"Tomorrow we should make cookies, I know Al's secret recipe," he smiled.

"One thing at a time, and is this recipe written down by chance?"

"I got all the recipes right up here," he tapped his temple.

"You should write them down," she muttered.

"What? Don't trust me?" he asked as he took a massive bite of waffles then.

"Did you see how much sugar you used!?"

"Not enough."

"I leave the cooking to you," she decided.

"You're going to have to learn eventually. What will you do when we break up and I don't cook for you?"

"We're never breaking up," she stated absently. She missed the way he stiffened and the massive grin which split his lips as she focused on her waffles.

"You're sure about that?"

"Yes, you like sex with an empath and I like your food," she stated.

"Ah yes, the basics of this relationship," he laughed.

"And books!" she reminded him.

"And the books, we're set."

"Yes," she agreed.

"Well, looks like we're learning new things every day," he mused.

"Yup, I can't cook, you can, you're stuck with me now," she smiled and he just looked like he was thinking that over.

"I can learn to live with that," he smiled.

"Good, more please," she held her plate out.

"I just taught you how to make them, get it yourself I'm eating!"

She chuckled as she got up to make more.


	16. 16 Needing Each Other

**Needing Each Other…**

It wasn't a need, he'd repeat that to himself even when he saw her. This wasn't a fucking need, it didn't have to be her, it didn't have to be Raven.

He shoved her up against the wall, his hands gripping her thighs with bruising for as he kissed her lips, her fingers tangled in his hair as the storm raged on outside. Fuck did she taste good, something powerful, forbidden, and exotic, and he couldn't get enough of it as he let go of one of her legs as he slid a hand under her shirt.

This wasn't a need, it was a want, it was a mutual pleasure, it was anything but a need.

He didn't need anyone, he didn't need people, people left, people let him down, people moved on. And he sure as hell did not need her, not even close to a need. He sure as hell didn't need her!

"Jason!" she gasped when they had parted gasping for air, he traced her jaw with rough kisses as he shoved the bra aside beneath her shirt, she moaned and he felt her fingers clawing at his shirt.

"I don't need you," he snarled as he lightly nipped her pulse.

"I don't need you," he repeated sharply when she said nothing and he pulled away from her neck to look in her eyes. They were wild and he could feel her emotions running wild around them as shit flew and crashed.

"I know," she moaned.

"Good," he growled as he grabbed her and they stumbled from the wall. He just wanted one night, one fucking night where he didn't have to worry about the world, and with Raven he could forget for a moment. He didn't need her, he didn't, he didn't need anyone.

"Couch!" she pleaded and he dropped her there, she looked up at him as he peeled off his wet shirt, he'd come here on an impulsive walk through the rain, he'd had no intentions of seeing her tonight.

Jason had absolutely no fucking intention of continuing this thing with Raven, none, he'd gone out in the rain after being chewed out by Dick for a stupid mission he'd done last week against an army of talon guys from that Court of Owls. He and Raven were not a thing and there was no reason to be here other than he just needed something. And lately that something lead him to Raven's doorstep.

"I should leave," he muttered as he came over her, she came up to kiss him as her fingers slid over his scars and she tugged his lip lightly.

"You're free to stay," she muttered and he growled a bit as he tugged her shirt overhead and tugged her bra off, he should not be here. He didn't need her, he didn't want her, he didn't need anyone and he didn't want anything other than to be left alone.

But somehow, he'd ended up here as he pressed his lips to her skin and wondered what the hell he was doing here. Raven cried out as her fingers dove into his hair when he captured her nipple in his mouth and he felt the push of her emotions on his psyche. He pushed back as his fingers tugged off the yoga pants she was wearing. She stretched out beneath him with a groan as her fingers feathered over her skin, flawless, pale skin which never seemed marked. He wanted to mark her, wanted to ruin her, wanted to destroy her for any other and…

And what? She'd leave to, and he wasn't enduring that pain as he tossed the yoga pants away and hooked a finger on the plain white cotton bikini panties she was wearing.

"No plans?" he mused as he looked at her heated purple eyes.

"No," she murmured.

"Good," he snarled as he ripped them off her and she moaned, he didn't love her, he didn't need her, he just needed a release, Raven was a craving, an itch to be had, she was not a fucking need.

He caught her hand before she could touch herself and she whimpered.

"No," he murmured, and he smiled a bit as she squirmed. "Not tonight."

His mouth was on hers' again and she pressed her slight form to him, he slid an arm under her arching back and pulled her close. Good God, this felt so fucking right and so damn wrong. He shouldn't need this, he shouldn't want her, he shouldn't…

"Jason! Just fuck me," she pleaded and he smiled as he kissed her jaw and slid his hand between them.

"Fuck you?" he mused as his fingers found the nerves which had her trembling.

"Just fuck me," she repeated evenly, even as her eyes fluttered half shut and the look on her face was caught between angelic and sinful.

"I've barely touched you," he murmured.

"You didn't come here for anything but a fuck, so fuck me already," she moaned, he fucking loved that about her, no need for preamble or false pretenses, she was just ready for whatever came, and it was delightful at times. He kicked off his shoes and tugged his pants off, Raven's fingers slid down and he watched as she hesitantly dipped them into her folds as he pulled out a condom. He looked at her eyes, she blushed a bit but bit her lip as she held his gaze.

He grabbed her hips, she caught his shoulders as she spread her legs wide, and he leaned over as he kissed her again. He didn't know why he kissed her, none of the other girls he'd fuck he'd kiss but he couldn't get enough of Raven, even as he slammed into her. Her head fell back as she cried out, her powers surging and he groaned feeling her shatter his mental barriers as her emotions poured into him.

"I don't need you," he groaned as he fucked her.

"I don't need you," he growled as he grabbed her thighs and pushed them high, Raven cried out.

"Jason!" she pleaded.

"I don't need anyone," he snarled furiously as he felt her pleasure, felt her muscles constricting around him and her heat drowning him and pulling him in. She hitched her legs around his hips as she pushed up against him.

"I know," she gasped as her hands caught the arm of her couch, her eyes now glowing white, all four of them, and he'd never seen anything as beautiful as that expression. His hand slid between them as he teased her clit and she screamed, her powers, her emotions came raging around him like a storm as shit went flying. He gave a shout as her pleasure had him snapping and brutally surging into her as everything shattered in him. Raven was gasping and collapsed on top of her unwilling to move yet.

"I don't need you," he whispered.

"I know," she breathed, her fingers slowly slid into his hair as she played with the ends, his eyes felt heavy. "But I'm here should you need someone."

He must have passed out because when he came too, Raven was sleeping, her arms were hugging him tightly and her small form shivering. Grumbling he stood, cleaned up a bit, collected their clothes, careful not to step on the glass Raven had shattered, and then he picked her up.

He was too fucking tired to go home, she curled into him and muttered something in a tongue he didn't recognize and he walked to her room. Dropping her on the bed he crawled in after her. As he pulled the sheet up, she scooted into him, and Jason found he just wanted this as he dropped the sheet over them and his arms wrapped around her.

He needed something.

What he had no clue.

He didn't get why Dick was pissed about the job last week, or why it was so fucking important he'd have called backup. It wasn't like anyone would come for him if he was in trouble. No one needed him, no one came for him, no one wanted him, so he didn't need anyone or anything in return. He looked blearily at the head of black hair in front of him and he tightened his hold on her as he pulled her close and inhaled her scent.

"Perhaps I need you," he whispered n her sleeping ear as he let sleep claim him and he hoped she didn't know that just maybe he needed her. It wouldn't do to get attached to her and never have her, Raven was elusive, and he wouldn't rely on her.

Slowly his breathing even out and he relaxed as none of his nightmares came.

* * *

The thunder boomed furiously overhead and she slowly shifted in the arms which held her. The clock read three fourteen, and she rolled over in the arms of the man who was with her.

Her eyes wandered over his face, tracing his J, the bruises, and the white tuff in his hair.

She loved him, she loved him so much and she couldn't tell him because he wouldn't believe her. No, Jason wasn't a man who believed in love or in the good of people. He didn't believe in people. He needed no one, he needed nothing, and he didn't expect anyone to ever care about him. Slowly she reached out and traced the J.

Azar did she wish she could get him to see how much she loved him. Slowly she let her fingers travel over his scars. She loved his scars, she loved him, if only she could make him understand.


	17. 17 Washing Something

**Washing Something…**

The rules of the Tower were simple, whoever did the cooking didn't do the dishes. It was a fair trade, even she would admit that it was fair, and Raven was fine with the arrangement. Unless Jason got it in his head to help, like he was now.

"Eek!" she ducked the sink faucet and used her telekinesis to spray the water on him.

"That's cheating!" he shouted as her.

"I did not start this!" she defended. She ducked when he threw the wet rag at her, he took that moment to catch her and she shrieked when he hosed her down, he laughed and she used her pours to dump the sink's water on him.

They both stood there soaked and her lips twitched.

"Are you joining a wet t-shirt contest?" he teased.

"Shut up!" she hissed.

"You'd win," he teased.

"That does it!" she snapped and she lunged for him, Jason ducked out of her way, and flew, twisting around as she used her powers to lift him by his ankles, he sprayed her with the faucet again and she yelped as she dropped him and ran around the counter.

"Surrender princess!" he called out.

"I did not start this!" she shouted as she found a pan lid and grinned at having a shield. "But I'll end it!"

Since Jason had moved into the Tower, after Dick discovering he was Red X, life had gotten interesting. Jason had sort of singled her out of the group and hung out with her the most. At first Raven was peeved by this, because he loved teasing her, but then it was normal. He wasn't like Gar or Cy who could just be straight up annoying at times, he was rather interesting and good company. The problem was, Jason had a love of dangerous things, pushing her emotions was a dangerous thing and he loved pushing her limits before he'd back off. Tonight was no exception.

She'd learned that indulging him in his games, like the current water war from washing the dishes, was fun, but also the only time he acted like a young man and not a dangerous man. It was also kind of fun to have someone who wasn't scared of her emotions to hang around when things got a bit out of hand.

Grabbing the lid she flew up as she curled up tight and came down on him.

There was a thud and he was laughing.

"I win," she said tartly.

"So you think, little bird," he teased and she yelped when the water slammed on her back.

"Cold!" she scrambled away from him and glared. He was just laughing.

"You two were supposed to be doing the dishes!" Dick roared which had both of them looking up at a scowling Dick Grayson, Jason just burst into laughter once again and she frowned.

"He started it," she snapped.

"I expect better of you Raven," Dick sounded exasperated.

"Yet not of your brother?" she muttered.

"You look like a wet bird, love," he laughed.

"Don't call me that, and who's fault is that! I was just washing the dishes," she snapped back, he laughed some more and Dick just sighed.

"Go get changed, I'll finish the dishes and clean the kitchen," Jason snickered and she looked down with a bland glare and noticed her white shirt and white sports bra were soaked through. She shot Jason a blank look before she just squared her shoulders and held her head up high as she marched through the Tower to the girls showers. It wasn't like she was ashamed of her body, she just didn't have anything flaunt worthy like Kori or Barbara or Donna, she was rather on the lacking side.

Once warmed again she walked out of the bathroom and collected her spare civilian clothes from her locker before tugging them on.

She sensed him before she saw him and turned to see him walking down the hall. He was just as soaked as she had been and she could see all his scars through his white shirt but wasn't put off by them like others had been. Folding her arms she cocked her hip and gave him a bland look.

"Sneaking into the girls' wing?" she asked.

"Just want to make sure we're good," he said.

"About what?"

"Well…"

"It's fine Jason, I don't have anything to be ashamed or to flaunt so there's no hurt pride, but next time I'll kick your ass at the water wars," she warned.

"Victor has all those vehicles in dire need of a wash," Jason mused.

"Yes, yes he does," she agreed.

"Tomorrow?" he smiled.

"You're on," she stated.

"You're going to lose little bird," he warned.

"I don't think so, I'll be prepared tomorrow," she smiled a bit smugly then and he laughed.

"Till then, hey, you don't happen to have a copy of Balzac's La Coméde Humaine?"

"Yeah, it's in English though," she admitted, but it was as one of the five dollar classic paperback collections, you could get from Barns & Nobel, she'd bought it about two months ago, loved it, and was now reading Frankenstein.

"Cool, can I borrow it?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied because Jason was frequently raiding her room for books now. She was surprised at how fast he'd taken to just asking her for books, or asking to look through her shelves for a book.

"Thanks, I'll be by after I clean up to get it," he smiled and then he was gone. She just shook her head and walked to her room then. Jason was an odd one, but it was nice to have another book lover in the Tower now. It also meant she got someone to talk books with.

Making her way to her room she dropped her soaked clothes in the hamper and noted that she'd do laundry tonight as she pulled out that bikini Donna and Star had insisted she buy last month and smirked. She hadn't been prepared tonight's water war, but tomorrow she would be.

She sat on her bed reading when there was a knock before Jason walked in.

"Hey little bird," he greeted, she flicked up her wrist and pulled the book off her shelf and flew it over to him.

"Now that you've got that I've got laundry to wash, so see you," she said as she heaved up her hamper.

"I'll help."

"Like you helped with washing the dishes?"

"I have my own laundry to run, sunshine, and no, there's no fun to be had in laundry."

"No there isn't."

"I'm still going to win tomorrow's water war," he warned.

"I am fully prepared to annihilate you," she stated as they walked to his room, he walked in and reappeared a moment later with his laundry as they both walked to the Tower wash room.

"Frankenstien?" he asked.

"Yes, I was looking for horror," she shrugged.

"Stephen King."

"I was going read _Carrie_ ," she admitted.

"Fuck that, read _It_ ," he informed her.

"I happen to like sleep," she replied primly.

"Me too, but that book is worth the read," he said as they walked into the wash room.

"Perhaps I'll just read the _Red Dragon_ ," she said.

"That's a good one, good psycho in it," he replied.

"You actually read it?"

"Yes, after Joker and everything, thought it was epic," he replied.

"Hmm, I'll keep that in mind," she said as she filled the washing machine.

"How do you feel about spy novels?" he asked her.

"Depends on who you're reading, some are trash, some are, I don't have a way to describe how good they are," she replied.


	18. 18 The Other is Sick

**One of Them Is Sick…**

Four years of being with her was something he couldn't even describe. Raven was the best thing to happen to him ever. He was still working out the kinks on his proposal (he hated big things and couldn't figure out how to just ask her and had been religiously carrying a ring around with him on missions and in real life for about a half a year now). But the point was he and Raven were a good thing, and he adored everything about her. She was so easy to be around, and he liked feeling comfortable and wanted. Raven was great.

But she was also complicated, being a half-demon made her a bit tricky at times to handle, like a month ago, or when she didn't want to share or lost her temper. He loved her to death, but the woman was difficult some days, not that dating him was a cake walk for her either, but it balanced out in his mind.

But the big thing about dating a half-demon is that she's almost never sick, he was also rarely ill but that was for different reasons but the point was, neither of them got sick. Which was why when this fine Tuesday morning when he'd woken up, to his beautiful girlfriend sleeping soundly, he hadn't been worried. He kissed her exposed shoulder as he slowly kissed her spine, moving their sheets, and he smiled feeling her waking.

"Jay…" she breathed sleepily.

"Morning sunshine," he whispered as he kissed her shoulder again.

"Mmm," she hummed.

"Come on Rae, time to…" she suddenly shoved him off and was scrambling out of the bed, half flying, have running as she disappeared into the bathroom slamming the door shut behind her. He was startled and stood to follow when he heard her retching, he just about ripped the door off it's hinges as he came in there and pulled her hair back. Gross as it was, after the four years of dating her, he had never dealt with a sick Raven so he did as he'd been taught by Alfred and just held her hair back.

Finally she was just dry heaving and trembling as he let her hair go

"Better out than in," he said half humoredly.

"Ugh," she grunted as she just rested leaned on the toilet, he reached for her robe and handed it to her, she didn't move to get off the tiled floor, he grabbed a cup and filled it with water as he handed it to her. "Must have been something I ate last night," she muttered.

"Then I'd be sick too," he pointed out as he found a pair of discarded sweats and pulled them on before taking the cup from her and splashing it out.

"Maybe not, demon," she muttered and he nodded.

"Want the bed or to stay here?" he asked her.

"I want to brush my teeth," she grumbled, he helped her up slowly, she gripped his arms painfully and just stood there for a long minute.

"You alright little bird?" he asked, keeping a firm hold on her.

"Just a bit light headed, I'm gonna call in sick," she said and he slowly let her go as she walked over to the sink and he left her be as he prepared toast with some jam on it for her. He kept his ears tuned for her, hearing her brush her teeth, run the sink, make her call and then the sheets moving. He brought her the toast. She was sound asleep in his shirt in their bed.

"Rae, come on," he coaxed, she cracked an eye at him, and frowned.

"I can't," she muttered seeing the food and paling.

"That's okay," he said as he set it aside on the night stand, he'd eat it for his breakfast.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"It's fine, I'd stay but I've got that legal thing with Bruce today and appealing my death so I can't stay here," he murmured patiently and Raven nodded.

"Go, 'M fine," she mumbled into the pillow. He would assess that statement this afternoon when he came home, for now he kissed her brow and took a shower. Raven was still sound asleep as he dressed in a suit, he gave up trying to tie the tie and decided not to wake Raven to have her help him since that was what he normally did when he had to wear a tie. He paused before leaving, he kissed her brow to check for a fever, but she felt cool to the touch like normal and he left.

He returned that afternoon to find her sitting at the counter munching on a deli sub, and she looked up from her computer and smiled.

"I am feeling much better, and starving," she informed him.

"I see, so you got Jersey Mike's and didn't tell me," he mused.

"I did! I got two sandwiches, number sixes, Mike's way with mayo!" she insisted.

"Uh-huh, and where is it?" he asked.

"I ate it," she sheepishly smiled.

"So do I get a bite of this?" he asked, looking at the last bit she had in her hands.

"No!" she snapped, he laughed and just picked up the phone as he called the sub shop for his own sandwich. He'd have been put off by Raven's attitude of not sharing but sometimes when her demon nature emerged she was greedy, so he didn't push her. their first real fight had been because he'd pushed her when her demon nature was running close to the surface and he'd learnt the hard way that she was a demon, good at hiding it and suppressing it, but she was a demon.

He figured Raven's being sick was a one-time thing.

"How's the resending death thing going?" she asked.

"Pain in the fucking ass, lawyers suck, and I've had to explain repeatedly that I was kidnapped by some crazy terrorist group and they tried brainwash me, I escaped and spent eight years on the run in Europe trying to get home, and then I got home and now we're doing this," he grumbled as he rubbed his temple. Lawyers fucking sucked! And Bruce had pitched a fit because Jason hadn't worn a tie today, but Jason wasn't in the mood to deal with it because he'd been worried about Raven being here and sick.

The only reason he was resending his death was because the paparazzi were snapping pictures of him with his brothers, and a big one had been plaster on the front of People with him and Mar'i playing in the park, with Helena and Terry, and Dick and him talking. Yeah, that flew over and the world now was screaming about him being alive. Explaining that in his family's 'joy' of discovering he was even alive they'd forgotten to resend his death because for the past year there was documented proof of him living, it'd slipped their minds.

"It'll be worth it, and throw off suspicion on your family for ties to the Bats," she pointed out as she finished her sub.

"True," he agreed. "But now I've got to start showing up at six and not eight, starting tomorrow, lots of fucking paperwork, busy month and Bruce is insisting I enroll in school or something so I look normal, I'm a grown ass man, I have no desire to go to school right now."

"You like school," Raven pointed out. he rolled his eyes.

"You're going to have to ask Dick or someone for a ride now," he said.

"That's fine, my classes are at eleven, I can make the train by nine and be in New York by ten," she dismissed.

"You're not walking Gotham alone, I'll ask Alfred help get you to the station," he sighed.

"Fine, but I'm a scary demon, even if they don't know it, no one's going to hurt me and I've been taking care of myself long before you," she pointed out.

"Not the point sunshine, it's for my peace of mind," he countered and she sighed in defeat.

"That's cheating," she muttered.

"Not if it gets me what I want," he mused.

"Why am I dating you again?" she asked.

"Because I'm awesome, and I cook."

"Right," she mused and he pulled her into his lap as he just held onto normalcy for a moment.

For about a week he and Raven didn't talk about her bout of sickness on Tuesday, it was Sunday though when they were shopping that he had the scare of his life. They'd agreed to take the kids, Dick (who was a single father by the way) was off planet, Tim was busy, it was Bruce and Selina's anniversary weekend, Alfred had sprang his ankle, Damian was off with the Titans, and Cass and Stephanie were off with Barbara doing some Birds of Prey thing. He honestly didn't know, all he knew was that he now had Bruce's clone/son, and Selina and Bruce's daughter with Dick's daughter for the week instead of just the weekend and they were in dire need of some things which lead to this shopping expedition.

Mar'i and Raven were off shopping for some school clothes for Mar'i, he was looking through the baby things, collecting diapers, and formula because he'd gotten a call saying that this week he and Raven would have the kids and that wasn't a problem, just another hassle.

"Jaybird!" a shrill voice screamed through the store and he had his little sister in the cart as he raced to the voice and found Mar'i shaking Raven's shoulder, and Raven looking green and dizzy.

"Fuck, you alright Raven?" he asked as he picked up the scared Mar'i who was now looking a bit like her mother and about to blast something.

"Yeah, just got light headed and everything spun and…" she gestured around her. "I'm fine, it's probably because I haven't eaten anything today."

"Kay, well, Helena, Mar'i will go with you, you're going to the food court, and I'll meet you there after I pay for this and change Terry," he said as he helped her up, Terry was starting to look ready to scream and Jason just smelled it.

"Yeah," Raven waved him off as he slowly let her go.

"Food, now!" Helena announced as she tugged on Raven's pants.

"Yeah, yeah, come on," Raven said as she picked up the two year old and then took four year old Mar'i's hand as they walked out. Jason watched her go closely and then walked to the family restroom to change Terry. He found the girls at the food court and he ended up reluctantly eating there with his brother, sister, and niece. Raven barely ate.

When they got back to the apartment Raven had crashed with the kids, Terry sleeping soundly on her chest, Helena used Raven's arm as a pillow and Mar'i was using Raven's stomach as a pillow. It was cute, but Jason frowned because Raven had been napping a lot, he didn't know if that meant she was sick or life had just decided to come kick her ass for a bit (because that happened to him on occassion). He crawled into his bed, lifted Helena to him, and pulled Raven into his side, Mar'i stubbornly clung to Raven, and he settled to read. He liked reading with Raven, even when she was sound asleep.

His largest freak out came later that week when they'd all been catching their breath after a massive fight, Klarion had decided to come to Gotham and pay a visit on them. Raven had barely defeated Klarion and was flying overhead them he, the Titans, and his brothers celebrating their victory. Raven was floating over the street, over a hundred stories in the air, she was talking, she was fine, and then she just dropped.

He had seen her eyes roll back in her head and the focus she used to fly had her dropping, he'd screamed her name as he dove off the building for her. Dick, Damian and Tim and the Titans shouted after him, but he couldn't let this happen to her. He barely caught her, had her secure and a grappling hook catching another building as he swung around and up onto a roof top, tucking her into him as he rolled. She was unconscious, and he'd started running for Leslie's clinic in desperation, shouting for Cy to forward all of Raven's medical files to Thompkins.

He didn't slow even as Dick called in the warning, and Jason highjacked the Batmobile where it'd been parked.

He blasted through every possible red light, every stop, he didn't slow for anything until he was in front of Thompkins's clinic, Raven groaned a bit when he grabbed her out of the car and ran into the clinic.

"Over here, I got the call," Leslie said and Jason put Raven on the gurney, of course Raven chose that moment to open her eyes and look confused.

"Where are we?"

"Thompkins clinic and you're going to be a good demon and let her check you over or I swear to God Raven I will make your life hell!" he snarled lowly when he saw her looking ready for a fight.

"But I'm fine," Raven insisted.

"You just fainted, while floating over the ground a hundred stories in the air! You're going to the doctor!" He snapped at her.

"Hood, let me examine my patient," Leslie snapped and Jason released Raven as he leaned against the wall and refrained from smoking because that wouldn't do him good. He glared at the clock as he waited. Dick and Tim called to check up on their Titan teammate, Jason said she was being examined and by the time Cyborg was there he was seriously concerned.

"Any news man?" Victor gasped.

"No," Jason grounded out because he was scared, truly scared.

"Fuck, I should have called her more, checked in, she just said she was tired, life," he sighed.

"I get it, she's been off for a few weeks," Jason admitted.

"Oh fuck…"

"How much do you know about Raven's biology?" Jason asked.

"Actually, not a lot, she's a one of a kind, unknown, demon. I know her natural temp runs at about eighty-four degrees, her fevers range between a hundred and twenty and a hundred and forty, she's got about three organs I have no fucking clue what they do, and she's got four eyes, all which can see, and the top two move independently from the bottom two. The only time she's sick is when she hops dimensions, other than that, everything about her is an unknown.

"Oh, and she's barren," Cy said.

"I know all that," Jason snapped. "I meant is there some weird demon virus or something which she could be sick with?"

"Raven doesn't get sick. Ever. Her immune system is a fucking beast, she was poisoned once and better before I even had the antidote ready. I've seen her take a third degree burn and be alright with no scar. The girl is indestructible," Cy said softly and Jason sighed knowing they were thinking of Star before she'd died. Kori had been indestructible too, and then she wasn't.

Raven was sick, that was all Jason was sure of. It was two hours later when Leslie appeared.

"She's asleep now, I suggest you go, now, it'll be dawn soon, I have her registered as one Rachel Roth, and we can discuss it tomorrow," Leslie said.

"What's wrong with her?" Jason demanded.

"She's asked for me not to tell you and said to tell you she'd talk to you about it in the morning, she also asked me to give you this," Leslie handed him the post it and Jason frowned at Raven's handwriting.

_-Talk To You About This_ _ **TOMORROW!** _ _I'm_ _ **NOT** _ _Dying, Go Home._

_**-IF YOU DON'T GO HOME I WILL KNOW AND I WILL HURT YOU!** _

"Rae's word is law, I'll visit her tomorrow, I'm her brother by the way," Cy said to Leslie.

"Victor Stone?"

"Yup," he smiled. "And if she's not dying, come on Red, I'm crashing on you couch."

"You're taking her side!" Jason snapped to Victor.

"Of course, I always take Rae's side; she's my sister dude, and if says she's not dying then I trust she's not dying and am going to your place to ensure you go there, and stay there, and we can yell at her tomorrow for this scare," Victor said.

"Oh, so you side with me on yelling at her but not with me on staying?" Jason muttered.

"Yup, home now," Victor ordered and Jason rolled his eyes beneath the hood. But he reluctantly did as Cy ordered as he took them to the Cave then Victor boomed them home.

It was afternoon when they finally had a chance get to the clinic, Jason had been delayed by the lawyers, then by the press, and now he was with Victor at the clinic and he was exhausted.

"Rae, finally, what the hell is going on!?" Jason demanded as he flopped into a chair beside her.

"Yeah, and you're grounded until you tell us what's going on, no flying after last night!" Victor snapped.

"Hey Vic, I need a moment alone with Jason," Raven said.

"Fuck! You're dying!?" Jason shouted.

"I'm not dying, but I want to tell you first, then Vic," Raven stated with a yawn.

"Fine but this had better be good," Vic snapped as he stomped out and Raven waited a beat before looking at Jason.

"I'm not dying," she said.

"You promise? Because if you're pulling some Bruce shit on me right now I will make your life and the afterlife a living hell," he warned her.

"Promise, but…" she said.

"Why are you sick?"

"If you shut up for a minute I'll tell you because I've been trying to figure this out all night! It's why I wanted to be alone!" she hissed lowly at him and he found himself glaring into four red eyes.

"Fine, put the eyes away," he said.

Raven took a deep breath and then she grabbed his hand.

"I don't expect anything of you, Jason, I just want you to know that before hand," she said flatly, he squeezed her hand then and waited, his patience was dying though as he watched Raven worrying her bottom lip.

"What is it, sunshine?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant," she sighed.

He just blinked.

"I swear I didn't even know this was possible!" she looked ready to cry and heavy equipment rattled where it was. "I… I get if you're not interested or anything, I just… I didn't do this to trap you! And I know we've got a good thing going! I didn't do it on purpose," she was crying now and he ducked a flying tray.

"Rae, Rae, calm down, calm down," he pleaded as he forced her to look at him, he kept her face framed as he ignored some of the flying equipment; so long as it didn't come near his head he didn't care about it right now.

"I'm just… it's a shock. But I'm not leaving," he said.

"I thought…" she whimpered.

"Nope, you're stuck with me, I didn't know it was even possible, but it's alright, I was more worried you were dying, pregnancy didn't even cross my mind because you said you were barren. I'm not leaving, you didn't trap me, and accidents happen, we'll deal with it however you want," he said and the equipment fell to the ground with thuds.

"I want to keep it," she whispered as her hands clutched her stomach.

"We'll work this out," he assured her.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Rae, give me a sec to catch up with you and I'll be happy just… give me a sec," he breathed as he rested his brow on hers'. He'd honestly thought she'd been dying or ill or worse and he couldn't stand the thought, he hadn't slept at all last night and he had a long day to this point.

But he was going to be a dad, Raven wasn't dying or sick and the grin split his lips.

"How far along?" he asked finally as he pulled away from her and looked at where her hands were as he tried to figure out how she'd look pregnant.

"About six or seven weeks, Thompkins said I started having heavy symptoms early because of my demon," she muttered.

"Oh, so it was… huh," he trailed off. She turned scarlet and he grinned. Around the spring equinox she'd had an insatiable sexual drive. She said it felt like she were on fire like she had to have him in her, he'd been thinking it was an animal heat or something with how she'd describe it. But after those three days she was normal again, just worn, used, and they both slept for a day after being that spent. "Guess you do have a heat."

"Shut up! I'm _**half**_ demon! Heats shouldn't happen!" she hissed, he laughed and pulled her into his arms as he just held onto her.

"Seriously, no more flying, you're firmly grounded and off field work," he said as he tightened his hold on her thinking about how he'd almost lost her last night, lost them, he couldn't afford that.

"That's not!" she started.

"Shut up sunshine, you, and whoops, would both be dead if I hadn't leapt off that building after you, and you only woke when we got here," he snapped.

"Whoops?"

"Seems appropriate," he informed her.

"Beats what I was calling it," she said.

"And what were you calling it?"

"It."

"We're sticking to whoops," he said as he pulled away from her as he looked at where the life was. He was going to be a dad. A terrifying thought. He'd had a shitty dad, and Bruce wasn't always the best role model for fatherhood.

"I'm happy, nervous, and scared, and I love you," Raven whispered as she rested her brow on his shoulder.

"It's going to be fine, but I'm guessing you're going to be sick a lot more," he murmured.

"I've been throwing up every morning for two weeks," she said.

"And You Didn't Tell Me?" he growled.

"I just thought it was a bug from dimension hopping, it's happened before," she defended.

"No teleporting, no shadows, no magic, and NO dimension hopping, you're grounded and I will have Cy on my side on this matter," he growled.

"I…!" she started but he kissed her.

"You've scared me this week, just do this for me," he murmured.

"That's cheating."

"Not if it gets me what I want, and I want you and whoops safe," he murmured.

"You're lucky I love you," she muttered and he grinned as he kissed her again before standing.

"Love you too, now I'm getting Cy and you're going to talking him down from possibly wanting to neuter and or kill me for knocking you up," he said.

"He has to get in line cause I got dibs, morning sickness sucks," she muttered.

"If you'd told me I'd have been there, and speaking of that, no more holding out on me, you tell me everything, got it?" he growled the last part.

She nodded as she sighed.

"Good." He left her then and found Victor sitting on a bench in the waiting area looking like a normal guy and nervous.

"How is she?" Victor stood.

"Fine, but first, she's going to tell you something and I'd like you to know right now I've had a ring for about a half a year that I've been storing in my tool kit trying to figure out how to ask her to marry me," Jason said.

"Alright?"

"I need you to know this so you don't kill me for what she's about to tell you," Jason said.

"Fine, fine, I won't kill you until you've proposed," Victor snapped.

"How about you don't kill me at all, dying sucks, but if you do it, no crow bars."

"Deal."

Jason and Victor just walked back into the room and Jason had the satisfaction of watching Raven all but short circuit Victor with her words.


	19. 19 Spoiling the Other

**Spoiling One Another…**

Raven would admit she was spoiled in the boyfriend department.

Alright, so she didn't have a sappy guy like Dick was with Barbara, and she didn't have a devoted guy like Wally, and she didn't have a good guy like Connor. And she sure as hell didn't have a sweet guy like Garfield or even a nice guy like Kaldur or an adorable guy like Roy.

No, Raven had gotten Jason Todd for a boyfriend and she knew that despite what the world thought he was the best sort of guy a girl like her could have. Even if Victor disapproved, and everyone else did too, they didn't understand.

Jason Todd was not grade A boyfriend material; he'd even said it himself.

However, while he wasn't gushy with his emotions or open about them like Dick was, he was honest with her about them. He wasn't devoted to her, but he was committed, if she had a guy devoted to her she just might send them to another dimension, but a commitment from him was more than most. He was not a good guy in the traditional sense, Kori, Barbara and Kara had all told her he was a bad boy but Raven saw him more as a tough-on-the-outside kind of guy. He was not sweet, but he was considerate and he treated her like a lady and not like a demon or a friend. And despite what everyone insisted couldn't be true, under his gruff, surly exterior was a nice guy, but never in the traditional sense. And Jason Todd was about as adorable as a pissed off tiger, but she didn't need adorable, she just needed him.

Also, he spoiled her, truly spoiled her. He bought her books, he made her food, he walked her to and from work, and he didn't mind indulging her when she wanted to do something or visa versa. He also spoiled her rotten because he respected all her boundaries.

Particularly her boundaries on sex.

Garfield had called her a prude on several occasions when she had attempted to date him because she didn't want to go past kissing or making out. But the problem was, Raven wasn't comfortable enough with sex to want to move forward. Also, they'd been sixteen, she was not giving herself to the first guy who had 'struck her fancy' her mother and aunt had raised her better than that. Which was why she and Garfield had flamed out and ended up being nothing more than friends in the end.

And now at twenty-six, Raven not only had a steady committed relationship (which she had honestly attempted to shut down as much as Jason had because neither of them were comfortable with commitment or dating in general), and it'd been about two years.

Which was why she was trying to figure out a way to spoil Jason in return for him being a great friend to her and for being an even better boyfriend. And that brought her to the most hated place in the world aside from Disneyland and Wal Mart.

She was the Mall.

And she was here with Kori, Barbara, Stephanie, Karen, Artemis, Tula, Megan, Kara, and Terra. Raven decided she'd landed in a special brand of hell when she'd mentioned she didn't know what to get Jason for their anniversary and the girls had dragged her off shopping.

"Come on Raven, you said you didn't have anything for him!" Artemis argued as Raven was dragged in by Artemis and Kara.

"I didn't mean go to the mall! I'll just get him that engine he wants!" Raven protested.

"That's not special and you know, stop resisting!" Terra pushed her back and Raven dug in her heels even more.

"We're going shopping Raven, come on!" Barbara and Kori gave her the final shove and Raven cursed being the smallest of her group of friends. They'd met in college and bonded fast and never parted ways, now Raven was regretting that as she winced in horror at being at the mall.

"Barbara! Steph! You guys are dating his brothers, they ever mention anything he wanted?" Megan demanded.

"Nope," both the redhead and blonde shook their heads.

"That's fine, I'm sure we'll find something," Kori said.

"Why not just give him yourself?" Terra suggested.

"That's a good idea, Mal loves it when I just slip on something sexy!" Karen grinned. Raven paled.

"That's great! What does he like Raven?" Kara and everyone turned their gaze on her which had her fidgeting.

"We haven't…" Raven furiously shook her head because now she really was sounding like a prude.

Twenty-six and still a virgin, God did that sound pathetic!

Most of Raven's 'problems' with sex was the screams she remembered from her mom, or listening to her mom shout about men fucked you and left. Granted Raven had sorted most her issues out about the matter on her own, and she understood her mother being brutally raped and her father being her mother's rapist had ruined her mother's life. But since she was little she'd listened to her mother's rants until she was fourteen when her mother was savagely raped, again, and murdered by her father (who had escaped prison to come after her and her mother, Raven had testified against him too) and she was sent to live with her aunt and aunt's family, sex was terrifying and scary. Especially after having witnessed her father's brutality to her mother from the kitchen pantry; sex was truly horrifying to her.

Raven's mom was a loving woman, who despite being raped and impregnated had loved Raven dearly. But that didn't stop her mom's toxic views on sex or Raven's own memories of her mother's nightmares and bad days from influencing her and her opinions on sex. No, she had told Jason all of it, but he was also patient with her so there wasn't a need to explain it.

"Seriously!?" Terra and Kara miffed.

Kori placed a hand of support on her shoulder and Raven bit her lip.

"Look, it hasn't been important, and he's interested but we're not pushing it," Raven defended. Jason was good at pushing her to the brink but the moment she was uncomfortable was the moment he stopped. And trust her in the beginning that was a lot less of the physical things on both their parts.

Mostly they had started dating, awkwardly, after Raven had been invited to a Wayne family dinner, and to get Dick off his back about dating, and Raven to get Barbara off of hers'. They'd concocted a scheme to pretend date to get their friends and family to leave them alone. They never actually intended to end up dating, it just… happened, and they both panicked and bolted, and still somehow ended up together. Raven's best description of their relationship was magnets, they just came together and stuck, and trust her they'd both panicked enough and tried to run and end up exactly where they had started enough to not push.

Pushing was not happening in their relationship, they were both going slow; glacier slow, about it.

"How physical?" Barbara asked her softly.

"Almost," Raven said as she folded her arms defensively. "Look, we almost did one time a few weeks ago, before Bruce called and Jason had to go off on a job."

"So, you're willing to give it to him?" Kori asked.

"Uh…" Raven blinked. She hadn't thought about it, she and Jason were usually caught up in the moment until she was uncomfortable or they were interrupted. But she supposed these last months she'd been more willing… and Jason wasn't pushing but he was interested. "Yes."

"Then let's get you something so you can do the sexy virgin routine and not regret this!" Tula decided. Raven groaned, she was going to really hate this, but perhaps it wasn't a bad gift. Also she didn't think she'd regret Jason.

She might regret a lot of other things but Jason was proving to be one of the best people in her life even if no one believed her.

By the end of the day Raven walked out of Victoria's Secret with more lingerie than she owned clothing, which was a wee bit concerning.

"Do I really need all of this?" Raven asked as she walked with her friends.

"Yes, because trust us, you'll want it," Stephanie giggled. Raven looked at the ceiling and just hoped that today would end already.

"Besides, you're at least giving it to a guy who likes and respects you," Terra said.

"And I'm sure it'll be worth it," Barbara assured her. Raven just pursed her lips and didn't say anything on the matter. She was still undecided on the matter but so long as she got out of this mall she didn't care! She made it to her car, popped the trunk and tossed the bags into the trunk before she was hurrying out of the parking garage and heading home.

Raven made it to her apartment, there was a message on her old cell from the prison her father was at and hesitantly she listened to the voicemail. It was a notice about her father's coming parole hearing which had Raven trembling as she sunk to the ground and squeezed her eyes shut to keep from screaming. This would be the first hearing since her father had taken a plea after her testimony.

Fifteen to twenty-five, and he could get out early on good behavior. Raven had moved, changed her name, taking her aunt's name, and come to Gotham to start over when she was eighteen, but she had kept her old phone for the prison only so she could be alerted to her father's whereabouts. They were asking her to be at the hearing which had her trembling in fear.

Raven's greatest fear was facing her father, Lucifer Trigon, and she didn't know if she had the strength to come there and repeat all the horrible things he had done to her mother while she'd been too scared to move from the pantry.

There was a jangling of keys and her door opened, Raven looked up from where she was sitting against her cupboards and saw Jason walking in.

"Hey, I'm back," he called out as he shut the door, Raven trembled as she scooted out of sight in the corner as she gingerly ended the message and wished to disappear from the face of the earth.

"Uh, Raven?" she peeked up through wet lashes at Jason who was leaning on the arch of her kitchen. "Hey, what's the matter?" he asked and suddenly he was in front of her, she bit her lip.

"I'm sorry!" she finally sobbed. "I went shopping today, got all these ridiculous things for you and I was going to try to be a normal girlfriend, I really was, but my father's first parole hearing is coming up and… and…" she was in hysterics at this point as she cried.

Jason didn't say anything, she just found her in his chest, on his lap and they were both sitting on her kitchen floor as she sobbed. It wasn't fair! The one day she decides to try to be a normal girlfriend and then when she was finally comfortable to move forward she get's that fucking call!

"It's alright," he murmured as he kissed her head. "We're both fucked up, and we both suck at normal, but we'll get there."

"I bought stupid things," she muttered in his chest as she didn't want to peek up to see his face right now.

"I saw, and when we get there we might ruin a few of those nice things," he said softly.

"I'm sorry, I was going to try," she promised weakly and took solace in another person holding her, particularly one like Jason who didn't do anything he didn't mean.

"You'll just spoil me a different time," he said. And now she peeked at him. "Trust me, we're going to get there, but for tonight we'll just sit here, order take out, watch some shitty movie and then go from there."

"Sorry for the crappy anniversary," she muttered tearfully as she burrowed back in his chest.

"We're fine, I'm calling Jersey Mike's and you're going to change, I'm going to shower, get our food and then we'll watch Die Hard or something," he said and she nodded as she listened to him pull out his cell and call the sub shop.

"You spoil me," she muttered as his fingers tangled in her hair.

"Trust me on this, sunshine, we're even," he said softly and then placed their orders when there was an answer.


	20. 20 Shopping Together

**Shopping Together…**

Dick…

There was one rule for shopping with Raven and Jason and Dick learned it the hard way when he went shopping with them one time:

**Shopping Was To Be Done As Quickly, As Quietly, And As Efficiently As Possible.**

There was no haggling over prices, there was no comparing, no browsing, no loitering. They both attacked shopping like it was a battle and they did it so fast that they had everything for the Manor, the Titans, and themselves in less than thirty minutes and they didn't use Raven's powers. Dick would have been impress but they had been so frustrated with the lines at check out and with dragging him around the store by his ear to keep up, had it not been so blatantly obvious that they were done. Jason was on the verge of shooting something and Raven looked ready to unleash her demonic fury.

They both blamed him for being stuck.

No, he did not see their logic in that blame, but they were both so mad that he promised never to go shopping with them ever again unless it was for Christmas. They got that in writing because apparently neither of them believed him and they taped it to the Manor refrigerator, and the Tower's refrigerator, and every fridge in every safe house Jason had.

Needless to say, Dick did not shop with them, and his ears throbbed anytime he ever thought about it. Neither one of them had patience to enjoy shopping. Of this he was certain.

* * *

Tim…

Tim was not the biggest fan of shopping, he didn't feel like he had the time and the fact he really only bought the essentials: Energy Drinks and Supplements.

However, he learned there was an art to grocery shopping the one time he'd gone with Jason and Raven and did it simply because there he had nothing better to do. Their one rule when grocery shopping:

**Do Not Put Energy Drinks, Junk Food Or Sugar Cereal In Their Cart.**

He'd been picking up his essentials up along the way and Raven and Jason both kept putting them back. It would have driven Tim insane if he had noticed it happening as they went. Needless to say, all the essentials that he had gathered for himself an Dick were not bought.

Alfred was pleased, and Tim was never shopping with them again. But he had to admit that it was an interesting learning experience. He had never known there was so many things to buy or use, and he hadn't known that shopping could be done so quickly. Everyone in the family; minus Alfred, dragged it out and it was a pain in the ass chore to be done.

* * *

Damian…

Damian was used to shopping with Raven and Jason, they let him go to the art store and they usually disappeared in the book store. Which was the reason for the only rule there was when it came to shopping with Raven and Jason:

**Do Not Disturb Them In The Books.**

He'd found them in the bookstore one time with Jon and it was now he learned this rule. It didn't matter what they were reading or what they were talking about, one did not walk up to them and tell them that it was time to go because that was usually a fast way for both of them to gang up on you. And if Raven and Jason decided to unite fronts then there was no stopping them because they both hated their reading time interrupted.

Of course he and Jon had noticed what area of said book store they'd been in when they had learnt this rule for survival. It had led to the biggest shock of Damian's young life but that was a different matter. The point was, if they were in the books they were not to be disturbed.

This memo was posted everywhere in the Manor and the Tower, and in Jason's safe houses, along with Grayson's shopping contract, and father's vow, and Alfred's list of essentials. The entire family learned to follow this rule if they wanted to get out of the stores in one piece, or at all.

* * *

Bruce…

It was not often that Bruce Wayne, billionaire, family man, playboy, and CEO went shopping. The few times he did it was to enjoy it or to select gifts for his sons, and their significant others. The one time he'd gone with his second son, Jason, and Jason's girlfriend, Raven, was a hell of a learning experience and he learnt just why his other children had contracts taped everywhere with them. It was now that he learn their golden rule upon going to the store:

**Know Exactly What You're Getting, Where It Is, How Much It Is, And Know If It Needs Shipping.**

Bruce learned this the one time he went shopping with the both of them for furniture for their apartment. He had come along because it was a quick way to get them a gift.

Though he was not thrilled about his son dating a demon he had learned that Raven was far better for Jason than the alien, or the Amazon. Also, she kept his wayward son from getting killed so he could not find it in him to hate what was good for Jason, just express his dislike on occasion. And it wasn't anything personal to Raven, she was a wonderful girl, but Bruce was aware of how fragile humans were and he did not want his son's broken.

Back to the point, Bruce didn't know what to get them, they knew exactly what they were after and had everything for their apartment in under thirty minutes. Bruce had found it amusing, and he had just decided his gift to them was paying for it, and the shipping, and getting it set up.

He decided that of all his children he'd shop with Jason again because his second son eliminated the fuss of shopping.

* * *

Alfred…

There was but a single rule for him when he did not wish to go shopping and it was:

**Pick Up The Phone And Call Master Jason's Girlfriend And Send Her And Master Jason To Do The Shopping.**

They would both snap and snarl and growl about the shopping but all of the correct supplies he'd need would be bought, with the correct brands, and brought to the Manor promptly. It wasn't like when he sent Master Bruce, Master Dick, Master Tim, or Master Damian to the shopping. Miss Raven and Master Jason attacked shopping with efficiency, they also hated the chore enough not to delay it.

Which was why he was right, at this moment, because he was a weary old man, picking up the phone, dialing Miss Raven's number, and waiting.

"Hello," she answered.

"Ah, Miss Raven, I presume you are in Gotham with Master Jason," he said.

"Yes…?" she replied.

"Excellent, would you mind running a few errands for me with Master Jason, I have two unruly children to attend to and they are in dire need of stitches," he said dryly as he looked at Master Damian and Master Tim who were both glaring at one another.

"Yeah, the usual?" Ravena sked.

"Surprise me," he said and hung up. Miss Raven had Master Jason wrapped around her pretty little finger, however, he had Miss Raven wrapped around his. No doubt the correct, needed supplies would be here this morning like he had asked.


	21. 21 Buying Flowers for the Other

**Buying Flowers for the Other…**

Jason was not the ladies' man Bruce was. He was not the big romantic kind of guy like Dick was. He was not asexual like Tim was. And he sure as hell was not clueless like Damian was.

No, he was rather quiet about his liking of girls and dating in general.

He'd dated Donna Troy for about three years in college, they were good, but not right. She got her Mister Right thought with the ginger professor, Terry Long; a really good guy. And Jason hadn't been upset about how thing had ended with Donna, they were still friends, and they talked once a week.

After Donna was Kara Danvers, it was good. Kara was an energetic young woman and she was so lively he couldn't regret the thing he had with her. They dated for about four years, when they sort of drifted apart and she fell in love with a photographer who worked with her cousin; Jimmy Olsen. They were friends still, and it was nice to have a good friendship with Kara because it'd have been an evil bitch if she'd hated his guts.

And now he was going on a blind date set up by his eldest brother and Dick's wife, Kori, and was informed that he would have flowers.

It'd been about a year since he'd done the dating thing and he was really only doing this to appease his curiosity because Dick's daughter, Mar'i would not be quiet about how great Rae was. Even Damian liked the mysterious Rae.

Well, her name was actually Rachel Raven Roth, she did not have a single photo of herself on her Facebook; he'd checked, she did not have any social media accounts, she was an editor at one of Bruce's publishing houses, and according to Kori could use a nice dinner date. Jason was up for it, mostly out of curiosity, also when he heard about Rae's horrible situation. Rachel Roth had a stalker who had been harassing her since college, and Jason had agreed to this because there were two things he didn't like in life. Men who brutalized and terrorized women. And men who brutalized and terrorized children.

Also, after hearing about Rachel's unwinnable situation, he felt she could do with something nice, and he might get to beat the shit out of an asshole harassing her. He wasn't a knight in shining armor, he knew that, however, he wasn't a schmuck who was just going to sit by and let an innocent live in hell because of an asshole if he could help he was going to help.

Trust him, he'd been through the shitter and come out the other side. He got how epically life could suck, and he also knew that sometimes receiving a gesture from a stranger was a hopeful sign that there was more to life than hell. Also, he was exceedingly curious about the woman since the only description he had of her was small, gothic, and creepy; and that was from Garfield Logan who was a friend of Kori's. Kori had hit him for that and said Rachel was a pretty, quiet girl who was not creepy.

Interest was piqued at the contradiction which was why he was here.

Standing on the corner, contemplating smoking a cigarette, flowers; simple red flowers (HE WAS NOT STANDING OUT HERE HOLDING PINK FLOWERS FOR ANY GIRL! IT WASN'T HAPPENING SO DICK COULD FORGET THAT!), in hand, and waiting in the cool autumn air of Gotham's evening.

"Jason?" a soft, smoky voice asked hesitantly which had his eyes landing on the owner of the voice.

She was tiny alright, he was pretty sure she was a foot shorter than him, she was ivory and ebony, her hair was the color of a raven's wing, and her large eyes were an exotic, undefine dark color which could either be onyx or the color of the Hope Diamond, red lips he couldn't decide if they were painted or natural, but her skin was ivory. She had that light frame, like she was a ballerina, and standing posed like a doe on the verge to bolt. It was such a contradiction as she stood there in a white sundress, black boots, and a black leather jacket. She looked like a dame in a fifties movie: gorgeous and out of place but classy.

"Rachel?" he asked.

"Hello," she said, her face was the perfect poker face as she stared at him with those huge dark eyes and he wondered what she was looking for.

"Ready for our date?" he asked.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Ah, that's the wonderful surprise," he assured her. "For you."

She looked s stunned as she hesitantly took them.

"No one's ever gotten me flowers before," she murmured.

"Really? What morons were you dating?" he asked as she shyly smiled at the flowers and he offered her his arm.

"I don't…" she muttered and when they were standing directly under a street light he saw the paling yellow bruise on the side of her face and frowned.

"Kori said you had a stalker," he said.

"Yeah… I get it if you tell me to go now," she said softly as they reached the cross walk.

"Nonsense, but I want to know if he's the one to give you that bruise," he said. Her eyes widened and she shook a bit, but didn't deny it. Slowly she nodded.

"Alright, we'll go from there," he said as he guided her across the street.

"You don't have to… Kori only told me to come because I can't let him control my life," she muttered sourly.

"That's okay, I only came because I'm curious and just itching to beat the shit out of an asshole who could harass a woman," he smiled. She stared at him with wide eyes again and he thought her to be the prettiest, oddest, woman he had ever laid eyes on.

"Curious about what?"

"Well, you, Gar said you were creepy and goth, Kori said you were quiet and pretty, and Dick swears you're the sweetest girl ever," Jason said.

"I'm not very nice."

"Neither am I," he assured her, she snickered as she looked at the flowers again.

"Also, I'm here because I was curious too," she admitted.

"Ah, see, this is the start of a beautiful relationship, curiosity," he chuckled.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a beautiful start," Rae said.

"Valid point," he agreed. "But hey, if we have a good time and I get to beat the shit out of a stalker then I think it's a win."

"Me too," she smiled beautifully.

She was something so beautifully out of place that he decided that this might not be such a bad start to whatever this was as she sniffed the flowers again.


	22. 22 Competing

**Competing…**

For some reason, it always felt like he was competing.

He was competing against the other Titan villains, competing with Dick, competing with Tim, competing with Damian, always struggling to get someone to notice him.

And then there was Raven, and to be completely honest, since the first time he had seen her she had scared him because she looked right at him as if she knew his every motive and could see his soul.

He fell for her when she had blandly asked if he needed a lift when he'd jumped on her rocket powered bus and she gave him that poker face of hers' with a hint of amusement. And falling for her scared the hell out of him, terrified him, had him bolting out of the country as he tried to settle his mind, his nerves, and the irrational feeling that she was onto him.

When he came back he found himself competing for her attentions and somehow it wasn't the worst thing in his world.

At least it wasn't until right now as he felt a fury which had him wanting to put a bullet in that green head and dragging Raven off, as he watched her being kissed at midnight by Beast Boy. It was such an ugly feeling that he had darted off before he did something stupid, and it wasn't like she even knew he loved her. He hung out with her enough to know that she didn't have a clue, and yes, he stealthy hung out with her at a local book shop he had bought and kept open as a way to clean some of is money. Dealing in rare books was a very safe cover.

Raven hung out there often and they were friends, at least, he felt like they were.

The day after new years' she stalked into his shop seething, she rattled the books, sent them flying as she broke a few glass cases.

"Garfield is an idiot!" she roared, he just nodded, handed her a dustpan and she helped him clean up the shop.

This went on for several years, and he never tried for her affections because he was fucked up enough as it is.

However, the day his vow to leave Raven alone and out of reach shattered was a day on a job, he'd been running from Bird Brain, Red Hotness, Green Idiot, Scary Cannon, and Sunshine, simple enough and he'd been enjoying it. He only flirted with Starfire to fuck with Dickhead and he kept an eye on Raven the whole fight.

What came crashing out of nowhere and pounded Beast Boy pissed him off, especially when it grabbed Raven and gave a roar of victory.

If the rest of Raven's team hadn't literally been destroyed when that thing assaulted them he wouldn't have interfered, but the thing turned into a large guy. He wasn't a bad looking guy, but Jason did not like the leering way he looked at Rave.

"Hey hotness, still repressing all that power, me likey!" the guy said. Raven was struggling but with her mouth bound and her wrists caught she wasn't going to be using magic and Jason internally cursed himself for binding her mouth with that X.

"Hey, ugly, unhand the little bird," Jason ordered as he forgot about his prize keeping it tucked away in it's pouch on his belt.

"Hey X, long time no see, and I'm claiming this lovely demon, so much power, and what do you care anyways, you hate the Titans," the man spat.

"One, you are not claiming shit, especially not my sunshine. Two, I do not loath the Titans! I just like fucking with them. And Three **If You Do Not Remove Your Hands From My Girl, I Will Remove Them For You And You Will Not Have Them** ," Jason growled out, he felt the Pit's rage bubbling up in him dangerously and he didn't even bother to stop it.

"You're no match for my perfection, X, and Raven's my perfect match," the man lewdly looked her over and Jason saw red.

The problem with always competing was he was better than he let on, and everyone only knew Red X to be a thief and dangerous, they were about to learn about his other person right now as he launched up. The knives were thrown beast thing was out again, and roared, Jason caught a falling Raven who was struggling with her red X on her mouth. He set her aside.

"Stay here," he ordered.

She furiously shook her head.

"Look, sunshine, shit's getting messy and I'm not holding back, stay put," he said and then he leapt over the crate, the beast came at him but Jason, while no Dick Grayson, was nimble, and twisted through the air.

The fight ended with one very bloody man beast, and a very pissed off Jason who was standing over the body snarling as he contemplated the cruelest ways to kill the fucker before he heard sirens. Slight hands caught his arm and he snarled at the girl.

"Go," she whispered. "See you tomorrow," was also whispered and Jason left.

She came by the next day and sat on a stool.

"So, what was yesterday about?" she asked.

"I don't like competing," Jason shrugged.

"So your sunshine?" she asked.

"Yes, you've been the best thing in my life for a while now," he shrugged.

"Ah," she blinked. "What were you competing with? Adonis is a pain in the ass, and Beast Boy isn't interested," Raven said.

"You mean you don't see the way people look at you?" he asked.

"As the creepy Titan," she answered.

"I don't know whether to kick myself or laugh," he chuckled and she just sat there looking confused which had him grinning.

"You confuse me," she muttered.

"How long have you known I'm Red X?" he asked.

"Since I first walked into this shop, that's why you confuse me," she said. "Also, seriously what are you competing with!?"


	23. 23 Being Old Together

**Being Old Together…**

Honestly Raven never thought she'd make it past the age of fourteen. After defeating her father though she found herself living life.

At sixteen she'd dated Garfield Logan, however they had quickly flamed out before they were at the six month marker and continued being friends.

At eighteen she was named second in command of the Titans by Dick, it was just a promotion to a glorified baby sitter with all the new recruits they were getting.

At twenty she moved to New York City, she wanted to study literature and world history and discover what it was like to be normal.

At twenty-one she'd gone off for her official drinking party with her Titan friends, and that was when she had an encounter with her brothers.

By the time she was twenty-three she had defeated her father, and now stood the victory and a Queen, she was bloody, she was tired, and she wanted to die, but her friends dragged her back home and she found out she was getting older.

She was twenty-five the first time she and he ever crossed paths, officially. They were both at the lockers, Jason was coming out of the showers and she was going in (it was a communal lockers at the Tower, and since she was the only one there at the time, or so she thought, she hadn't been expecting anyone there). After she and Jason had scared the living hells out of one another, destroying the locker room and both of them sitting there in towel they had laughed. And once they had the bathroom back in order, they ended up eating in the kitchen and chatting before Jason declared he was off and left.

They were twenty-seven when they ended up being official friends, she'd moved to New York City full time as Rachel Roth, and he was living in Gotham. They'd crossed paths on a case he was working which had brought him to New York and they hit it off; again. They ended up being friends, which was a strange thing since neither of them were really looking for a friend.

At twenty-eight she'd indulged her pregnant friend's request to set her up on a blind date, mostly because Raven couldn't handle any more of Kori's temper or tears or wild powers. She got a call from Jason asking her to spring him from a date, and she agreed only if he did the same for her. It was agreed, they did not expect to end up on a date with one another and both ended up sitting in that restaurant laughing like loons. Dinner was great, but one too many glasses of wine for her and she woke up under Jason in her place, on her bed, without a stich of clothing. What should have been awkward was treated as normal for some reason and that was their start.

At twenty-nine she was introduced to Alfred, Bruce, Dick, Kori, Cassandra, Timothy, Stephanie, Duke, and Damian as Jason's girlfriend. Kori and Dick had taken full credit for them getting together, Raven just chalked it up to a bottle of wine and a good dinner. Jason instantly shattered Dick and Kori's claim of setting them up though when he said they'd been friends for years, just hadn't ever thought to date. Dick was bummed, Kori was confused, the rest of the family just asked how they were friends.

At thirty Jason proposed to her, over an open com with the Bats, when he was dying. It was after the Joker and Jason had gone their final toe to toe and neither had held back or refrained, and Joker was dead, Jason was merely a step above death. Raven had said no, she wasn't marrying a dying man, he asked if he lived if she would, she said she'd think about it he'd laughed and that was when Dick and Bruce had finally gotten him. He was put in medically induced coma for three weeks, she never left her post. A week after he woke up and she was sure he wasn't going to drop dead on her, she said yes but if he tried another suicidal stunt like that she'd make his life hell. He agreed to her terms and kissed her.

By thirty-one she was a married woman and moved to Gotham. When she actually looked at her age and thought about that stupid prophecy she was amazed she was still here. Jason pointed out he'd actually been dead and was not supposed to be here as it was. They both decided to make the most of their stolen time.

A family was never really in their cards, Jason said if they really wanted kids they'd adopt, he'd been adopted after all and felt there was no shame in adopting. Of course this was all shot to hell about four months after she'd turned thirty-one and had been babysitting Mar'i, Terry, and Helena. She had her head in a toilet and three worried kids under the age of five staring at her with large eyes. Raven called Jason for help. A month of nonstop puking had her going to the doctor and getting checked out.

Fourteen Weeks Pregnant.

Jason looked as if he'd been struck by lightning, and she felt like she had been swallowed up by shadows. It hit them both hard the following day, and she asked Jason if he wanted a son or daughter. He said healthy.

Alfred, Bruce, Victor, Constantine, Dr. Fate, Zatanna and Leslie had all fought about her pregnancy and how to proceed from there. Cassandra Sandsmark had actually ordered Raven to abort the child, but Raven wanted the life she had created, and that fight had leveled several warehouses, Raven might have killed Cassandra had Zatanna, Constantine and Jason not come after her and calmed her down. After that Dr. Fate and Constantine had sat down with her and discussed what could happen and safely the three of them created a game plan for keeping her rampant powers in check and for her labor and delivery. Jason had worked with Leslie to learn about birthing a baby once it was agreed that Raven would go to Azarath to have her child. Dr. Fate and Constantine gave her ruins to dampen her powers and hide her.

Which lead Raven to having her labor induced before walking to another dimension with Jason a step behind her before Constantine and Dr. Fate sealed them there.

Before she was thirty-two, after screaming, fighting and losing all control of her emotions for a day and a half, she finally held in her arms a baby boy who had had a tuff of black hair, his daddy's blue eyes with a trace of green in them and pale, pink skin. They named their son Dale Patrick Todd-Wayne (because, different long story, Jason was legally adopted, resurrected, and claimed as Jason Peter Todd-Wayne).

They returned to earth after her thirty-second birthday, Dale in arms, and exhausted, but no apocalypse or crisis happened.

Constantine examined Dale closely and declared her to be a healthy, bouncing, handsome boy who didn't have any trace of Trigon in him, but did possess great demonic powers, and magic potential. Bruce and Alfred ganged up on her and Jason, since they were exhausted and gotten them to agree to move back to the Manor where Dick was living with Kori and Mar'i also, and Bruce had his daughter with Selina, and his clone/son, Terry there too.

Dale was an easy baby, Alfred said this was because of her but Raven tended to disagree since she had NOT been an easy baby and her powers had run rampant driving all of Azarath insane. Oh, and it turned out, when Dale was angry, Dale had her eyes, ALL of her eyes, Raven and Jason had laughed when Bruce and Alfred came up to her room with a screaming, four red eyed Dale in a panic. Apparently, it wasn't mentioned in Raven's file she had four eyes.

She was thirty-three when she got the call from Dick, Kori was dead. Raven had lost it when she released all her emotions in a sob which had every window in Wayne Manor and every glass thing shattering. Kori's killer was dead, Dick was coming home for the funeral, and he asked her not to tell Mar'i, he'd tell his daughter. Raven had had to leave for Azarath, she felt bad about destroying all the glass at the house and dumping the kids on Jason, but she couldn't take her emotions and they needed to be let go. She stayed away for a week, she came home for the funeral, somber face, and didn't shed a tear. Jason just held her and Dale close, and Raven announced she was retired from hero work, he could keep being the Red Hood, but she would not orphan their son. He hadn't argued with her, just agreed and held her. Dick was devastated but he would survive for his daughter. Alfred had all the glass in the Mansion replaced, she apologized until the day he died.

By thirty-four Raven found herself pregnant with her second child, and Jason was a patient father; which seemed to surprise everyone but her.

They did the same thing they had done with Dale, though Dale had protested at them leaving for Azarath's ruins without him. Raven's second labor was much harder, and far more painful than her time with Dale. Jason got a brunt of the backlash, but he took it even as he brought their second child into the world.

They had a daughter, they named her Gale, don't ask where the name came from she just liked it and Jason was fine with it. Gale Kori Todd-Wayne had her father's white streak of hair in her raven locks, her father's blue eyes with that trace of green, and her mother's looks. When Constantine looked over her daughter he said the same thing he did about Dale, though he said he detected the Lazarus Pit in Gale but wasn't concerned unless it emerged as a part of her nature.

Raven and Jason agreed they were done with kids, two daughters were enough for them.

Raven was thirty-five when Tim got married, to Stephanie. Damian asked how much it had cost to bribe Stephanie into marrying him, Raven cuffed Damian before anyone could say anything. Dick was there with Barbara, and Barbara had Mar'i perched on her lap. After the wedding, Raven was the one to catch Stephanie with her head in a toilet vomiting, Raven held her new sister-in-law's hair back and patiently waited. Stephanie instantly said she'd found out that morning she was pregnant, Raven hugged her and wished her luck. Everyone waved the new couple off and Jason pulled her close as he kissed her temple. It was a good life.

She was forty when she and Jason got into what could be considered their first real fight. Her father was coming for their children, and she'd offered an exchange, leave her children be in exchange for her. The fight between her and Jason, alone was epic, and in the end, she found herself standing before her father with Jason there. Jason had come despite her protests and by the end of this battle she was glad he was there because he dragged her out of a dimension she should have been sealed in to destroy her father. Jason wasn't leaving her behind though.

After that they both drifted into normalcy, Jason kept up life as the Red Hood, the only reason she didn't stop him was because he loved it, and the Pit required an outlet for it's influence on him. Besides, Jason was good at what he did and he though he'd be bloodied, bruised, and ripped up he'd come home and hold them close.

Raven was truly surprised at her at age when the time came for Dale to graduate high school. Nearly fifty, she had never expected that, Bruce was watching his grandson graduate and after having attended this ceremony three, four and five years earlier for his youngest kids. Jason had had a real laugh when Bruce was asked if he was here attending another one of his children's graduations and he'd said coldly that he was here for his grandchildren. The press had eaten it up. Two years later they were back again for Gale's graduation.

Neither of their children seemed overly interested in the hero business, but they worked with their father from time to time, acquiring bother her skillset of powers and their father's skills. The Demon and Nightingale were two feared heroes when they rose in the spotlight, most of the time though her children wanted to be quiet in their works. Dale when to George Town, studying philosophy and theology and history. Gale went to MIT, studying aeronautical engineering, mechanical engineering and theoretical math.

The years seemed to blur and Raven and Jason both retired from the field work of hero life completely. Jason said something about being too old for this shit and immediately his kids said he sounded like Lethal Weapon which lead to a movie marathon. Funerals came, grief hit, life continued, and celebrations were held for weddings. Gale married Kaldur's son, and though it was not an ideal union in the eyes of Atlantis no one could argue with their King's joy for it.

And now, Raven marveled at her age as she stood there staring at her daughter holding her first child, and Raven stared at her first grandchild. Jason's arms slid around her as they stared at a baby girl with large blue eyes, black hair, dark skin and tucked in the safety of Gale's arms. Gale was smiling in pride as she looked at her husband.

"Didn't ever think we'd get here," Jason whispered as he kissed her temple.

"No," Raven whispered her agreement.

"Perhaps this being old isn't so bad," Jason murmured against her gray hair.

"Perhaps not," Raven agreed. "But we'll continue getting old together."

"Sure," he mused.

"I love you Jason," she murmured.

"Love you little bird, and we're totally spoiling our granddaughter," he whispered conspiratorially. Raven smiled.

"Of course," she agreed.

"Good, now you distract them I'll steal her," he chuckled.

"Not yet, give it a month when they're exhausted."

"Spoil sport."

"Someone's got to keep your suicidal tendancies in check," she shrugged. "We're going to get old together."

"And I'll sweet talk you into races in wheel chairs," he decided.

"Nice try."

"Oh no, we're doing it sunshine," he promised.

"Will you please not call me that," she sighed.

"You love it, and I've called you sunshine since I first saw you," he murmured and kissed her then. "Because I knew you'd brighten up my world."

"Careful Jason, they'll think you're a sap," she teased flatly.

"Bullshit, now I'm stealing our grandkid," he kissed her again and walked over to their daughter and son-in-law and was handed their grandchild.

Being old with Jason was like never growing up.

It felt good.


	24. 24 Dealing With Children

**Dealing With Children…**

Raven was accustomed to dealing with children, she was a mentor to many children who came to the Titans. However, she paled in comparison to Jason.

Jason clearly knew 'child's speak', but seeing as how he was multilingual Raven wasn't overly surprised. Jason also understood children, and he could, at times, display the same childlike wonder for the world. Raven would have been surprised if Jason didn't know how to handle children. But that wasn't what was on her mind as she leaned on a fence and watched her boyfriend of four years, playing on the playground with his niece and littlest boyfriend.

She'd been trying to figure out how to tell Jason her news all week since she had figured it out, but she wasn't sure how to start that conversation which had her just watching him with other children.

"He's good at this," Barbara commented which dragged Raven out of her thoughts as she looked down at the other woman who was watching Jason with keen interest.

"If you're worried about him killing those kids look elsewhere for trouble," Raven dismissed. She knew for the most part how Jason's family felt about him. Particularly Barbara who seemed to never let go of her opinions on Jason and how dangerous he was.

"You don't like me," Barbara said.

"You don't like me," Raven pointed out.

"True, but… you're good for Jason," she said softly. "He's not as volatile or explosive with you around."

"Rae-Rae! Come pway!" a toddling Mar'i ordered as she stumbled up to Raven.

"I don't play," Raven said as she scooped up Dick's daughter and walked back to Jason.

"Pwease!" Mar'i pleaded.

"Oh she's joining in our game of hide and seek," Jason grinned as he wrapped around her and kissed her temple.

"What!?" Raven blinked

"Yup, and you're playing because you walked on this play ground," he assured her. Raven frowned at him and then released Mar'i as she ran off, Jason laughed and started counting, Mar'i giggled as she caught of to Raven and grabbed her hand.

"Come on, let's hide," Raven whispered as she leapt into a tree and settled on one of the narrower branches. Damian hid in a different tree. And the rest of the afternoon was spent in such manner with the youngest members of the Wayne family. It was only after they had finished their babysitting of the afternoon, dropping Mar'i and Damian back at the house and Raven was sitting on Jason's apartment couch that she decided to talk to him.

"Hey, um… how do you feel about kids?" she asked her boyfriend in as monotoned of a voice as she could pull off.

"Kids? They're fun, why?" he asked as he pulled her to him and she found herself straddling his lap. "The answer to this question sort of depends on context."

"Have you ever… thought about having kids?" Raven asked.

"Oh," he blinked and thought it over, his hand slid under her shirt while the other rested on her rear keeping her close. Raven clutched his shirt and waited.

"I don't know, I've never really thought about it," he said finally. "I mean I've never said no to having them, but I've also never thought about having them. What about you?" he asked.

"I actually… I never thought it was an option for me," she admitted softly which had him lifting a brow at her. "I was supposed to die at fourteen, I am a demon, I never… I never thought about kids."

"Alright, and what brought this on?" he asked as he lifted a hand to slide through her hair.

"Well…" she started, leaning into his touch.

"Well," he prompted.

"I'm pregnant," she said and he stilled completely.

"Pregnant," he repeated in a tight, controlled tone.

"Yes, I never thought it was possible, but I took the test and I went to the doctors," she explained and she pulled out the black and white photo she'd been hiding all week and handed it to him. Jason just stared at it, his hand never leaving her hair.

"I don't know if you want to be involved, but you're so great with kids I couldn't not ask you, and I'm keeping it. But I wanted you aware of this before we decided to move forward or away or whatever, it's half yours," she said patiently.

"Raven," he said shakily.

"I will not be angry with whatever you decide but I've been…" his mouth was on hers', cutting off the rest of her carefully prepared speech for him.

"I'm happy," he murmured when he pulled away.

"Huh?" she asked, befuddled and confused.

"I'm happy, I'm happy with you, whatever offers you're going to give keep them. You're not going anywhere, and I happen to like kids so this isn't a freak out, I just suck at the family thing but I want to try with you," he promised.

"Good," she whispered as her head rested on his shoulder and she sagged in relief.

"How long until we have to deal with our kid?" he asked as he wrapped her up in a tight hug and she felt him smiling as his joy and love hit her.

"Seven months, human gestation is assumed," Raven said.

"Really?" he asked amused, Raven groaned.

"I hope it's human gestation, demons can be pregnant for a year," she muttered sourly and he laughed as he kissed her temple and held her tight.

"A year?" he asked amused.

"Yes, my mother was pregnant with me for an entire earth year," she informed him.

"We'll handle whatever comes, I'm not going anywhere and neither are you or the baby," he said firmly.

"You're going to be a good father," she smiled a bit as they ended up settled on the couch. Jason didn't say anything to her father comment and when she peeked at him she saw him staring at her. "What?"

"We're going to do fine with this?" he asked uncertainly.

"No, but we're good with kids," Raven pointed out and he relaxed again with a smile.

* * *

_Nine Months Later…_

After a renovation, a few tweaks to his apartment, and after she had moved in, they had settled in together. Jason had endured her pregnancy like a champion, and trust her she knew she wasn't easy to deal with pregnant. But that brought her to where she was tonight, as she slept tucked into Jason's side and there was the whimpering on the baby monitor.

"I'll get her," Raven muttered sleepily.

"Just sleep," Jason breathed, he was already shifting and standing, Raven surrendered to sleep; being a new parent was exhausting, especially to a newborn who had magic powers.

'Shhh, daddy's got you,' she heard Jason murmur over the baby monitor. Slowly Raven sat up, picked up Jason's sweatshirt and zipped it up as she padded over to the nursery. Jason had their daughter propped up against his toweled shoulder as he gingerly bounced Lilith who stared at him with glowing white eyes. Raven softened as she leaned on the door post and stared at father and daughter.

Lilith had thick, wild black hair with a stubborn streak of white growing on it, she had blue eyes which glowed green, four eyes which glowed brilliant red when she was mad, and white when she was happy. She had her daddy's mouth and nose, but Raven saw herself in Lilith's quiet attitude.

"What are you doing up? I've got her sunshine," Jason yawned.

"I know," Raven sighed. "But have I ever told you how sexy an involved father is?"

"Mmm," he hummed as he came over to her. "Yeah, but I like being reminded."

Raven smiled slightly and then Lilith started fussing which had Raven reaching to take their daughter for the three-a.m. feeding Raven found herself settled on Jason's lap as he sat in the huge lazy chair they'd bought for the nursery which would be moved to the reading nook when Lilith was older.

"I don't see what Dick and Roy were bitching about," Jason yawned as he watched Lilith. "Babies are easy."

"Mmm, Mar'i kept floating out of her crib, and Lian was a fussy baby," Raven pointed out sleepily as she leaned back against his chest, Lilith gurgled in protest.

"Mmm, I guess Lilith shattering everything breakable when she was hungry or in need of changing was annoying," Jason muttered. "But she'll learn, and is learning."

"Uh-huh," Raven agreed as she looked at her daughter then. Lilith would learn, Raven would ensure her daughter was safe from Trigon, and Jason would keep her safe from all things mortal.

"Hard to think she's real," Jason muttered as he traced Lilith's cheek and their daughter glared at him as she stubbornly focused on her meal.

"Sometimes," Raven agreed.

"Marry me," Jason breathed softly in her ear which had her looking over at him.

"You're just saying it because we have a kid," Raven tiredly pointed out as she resisted saying yes.

"Partially," he admitted. "And I love my daughter, little bird, but that's not why I'm asking. I'm asking because I love you and being like this is my heaven."

"Really?" she asked.

"Dirty diapers, sleepless nights, and everything," he murmured as he kissed her pulse. "I love you, I know you feel it, I know you love me, and I love my family. Just make it official."

"I don't want you to regret it," she replied softly.

"Not going to," he assured. "Also, we have her, how could we regret it?"

"Good point," Raven murmured as Lilith finished her meal and Jason rearranged them so he took Lilith and resumed his walking, and Raven curled up in the chair. She just stared at him and smiled slightly as he rubbed Lilith's back.

"Yes, if you won't regret it," Raven said after Lilith had gone to sleep on Jason's other shoulder.

"About fucking time," he smiled as he came over her, and she smiled quietly at him as she looked at their daughter.

"Why is she only good for you? she never sleeps for me," Raven whispered as she touched Lilith's side.

"Cause I'm her dad," he smiled.

"Or you're just a baby whisperer," Raven muttered sourly.

"It's called bribery," Jason chuckled as he kissed her brow and moved to put Lilith down and came over to her, she sleepily reached for him.

"And how do you bribe a baby?" she yawned as he pulled her to her feet.

"She's getting a car for her sixteenth birthday," Jason replied as he scooped her up which had her gripping him tight.

"Oh, well, how are you going to take to her bribing you in return?" Raven asked sleepily.

"For what?" Jason asked.

"Dating privilages," Raven teased.

"See that'll never happen, because she's going to be like her mother, be quiet, and be smart, and not be seen by the rest of the male population," he answered.

"Are you saying I have no sex appeal?" she demanded.

"No, you have lots of sex appeal, you just happen not to be an idiot to settle for the first moron to kiss you," Jason said as they fell on their bed.

"I just settled for the second," she grumbled.

"Yeah, and admit it, you love me," he smiled as he kissed her.

"Azar I do, but you're insane rather than a moron," she said as she wriggled out of the hoodie and curled up on his side.

"Beats being a moron," he muttered as he curled around her. "Also, I'm great with kids, I think Changeling had Mar'i crying on her first trip to the tower," Jason sleepily reminded her.

Raven snorted, Mar'i's powers had come in when she was a few months old, later than a Tameranian, but fast for an earth baby and she'd blasted Gar out of the tower when he changed into a bear.

"You are great with kids," Raven agreed in the pillow.

"See, so I don't have to worry about Lilith and dating, she'll pick someone good for her," he grumbled. She smiled.

"Baby whisperer, it's time to sleep, she'll be awake at six for a change," Raven grumbled.

"I know," Jason yawned as they both fell asleep.

Jason was very good at the family thing and dealing with kids. She was very happy that he was the one with her for this and she was happier that he loved her as much as she loved him.


	25. 25 Trying to Seduce the Other

**Trying to Seduce the Other…**

Jason was very comfortable about the fact he was never one to think with his dick or have his actions influenced by the sight of a gorgeous woman. And the fact that the sight of a sexy brunette had Bruce's head turning in distraction or the mere passing of a curvy, redhead reduced Dick to mush or the sight of a smart, curvy blonde had Tim also turning into a puddle, made him very pleased not to be hormonally driven. Damian was too young to be influenced by hormones, but Jason was just waiting for the brat to grow up and settle on a type because Jason saw enough of Bruce and Dick in the kid to see this being a distraction for him later.

Back to the point, Jason was not a man reduced to a painfully aroused, distracted liability because of a type of woman. He didn't have a type, he'd dated perky dainty blondes, sexy black haired vixens, mysterious silver sirens, and vivacious redheaded troublemakers. Yeah, he didn't have a type, and none of those girls had ever really distracted him to the point of being mush.

And then there was Raven.

Oh, that little demon had been fucking up jobs, missions, and sleep for him since he'd first landed eyes on her prancing around in that leotard at fourteen.

Now, one might not see Raven's delicate build or lack of assets as a turn on but holy shit was that demon distracting. The first time he saw her he eliminated her from the fight fast so he wouldn't get side tracked. The next day he saw a group of little girls in leotards and immediately decided Raven was a kid, she wasn't a woman. A few years later she started walking around in that cloak and that dress! It was hard to view her as a kid when she walked around in a dress like that! He had actually stopped in a fight when she had lost her cloak and tossed his at her so he could think.

But what really did him in for her was the catsuit and jacket.

Raven was not a curvy, vivacious, perky, or sexy woman. She was rather quiet, a little on the dark and mysterious side and tiny. The woman was small, she was tiny, she had nice legs and a sexy ass, but she did not have the tits which could drown a man or curves which had men getting lost. No, she was slim, slight, small, a fucking ballerina. Combined with her dark demeanor she was considered creepy, he just found her distracting.

They had started dating a few months back, unofficially, and it was mostly because they'd been set up on a blind date together as a joke from his family and her friends. It had started out as fake dating, mostly because Jason had been irked by an off handed comment from Dick and Garfield and now it was real dating.

However, he hadn't taken a step towards seducing Raven, or pushing her.

The demoness had her boundaries and he would respect them, though he wanted to jump the little bird's bones. God damn him when he saw her wearing a dress or his hoodie because she stole those frequently. But he would not push her, he would not scare her off, and he would not let her feel cheap which had him putting his hormones on the back burner, as usual.

At least that's where they normally were until he opened his apartment door to see his girlfriend standing in the freezing hallway in a trench coat and looking shy.

"Um… can I come in?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," he moved, he looked at her legs, if he ever had a weakness it was a great pair of legs and Raven's were of the finest he'd seen.

"So, um… I know we're dating, but you haven't made a move…" Raven said as he locked his door and flipped the security bar in place and set his traps.

"Raven…" he stopped when he turned around and she was standing there in next to nothing, his brain was gone on vacation, and he was pretty sure it had invited his lungs with it as he just stared at her and felt everything he normally ignored come rushing to him.

"I'm interested if you are," she managed. Jason was on her, dragging her up as he hooked her legs around his hips and shoved her into the wall. Was he interested? Hell yes! Did he think he could articulate that? Fuck no.

His mouth was on hers' as she clung to him and tightened her hold on him, her fingers digging into the material of his shirt. He felt the lace she was wearing, it was red lace too; his favorite color, and he furiously tugged at it.

"Jason!" she breathed when he pulled away.

"Interested," he kissed the nape of her neck as his hand tightened on her thigh. "Doesn't cover what I want with you."

"You…" she gasped.

"Very fucking interested," he growled and tore the bra she'd been wearing. If women wanted shit like that to last they should make it in sturdier material. Raven gasped when he cupped her breast, she was small, but God above was she soft and warm.

"You're in for a long night little bird," he whispered and her empathy shoved against his psyche which had him moaning as he dragged her away from the wall and they stumbled to his room. Mostly he wasn't fucking her against the wall, yet, they'd get there. Dropping her to the bed he fell over her as he again kissed her, her fingers were dragging at his shirt and he slid his fingers over her curves.

He just might love her, he thought, he wasn't sure though, but he really just might.

Raven's fingers slid up his abs and he smiled as her hesitation turned into confidence.


	26. 26 Part 1: Interacting with Family Members

**Interacting with Family Members…**

Jason held his daughter in his arms as he watched an empty casket get lowered into the ground on a day with a light spring shower.

Yeah, Jason Todd-Wayne, he was in a cemetery willingly, and not just any fucking cemetery; the very one he'd clawed out of. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and held his daughter as close and as gently as he possibly could.

Raven had died, she'd died admirably, fighting her father away from their daughter, now he was here with Lilith and Raven was lost, forever. Dr. Fate and Constantine both said they didn't know what dimension Raven had vanished into but she was gone with her father for eternity. Pressing his lips to Lilith's brow he just tried not to shatter and break down with his family there with him and a priest saying nice words about his wife.

Yeah, Raven would laugh, really laugh about having a Catholic priest giving a demon, giving her, her last rites and farewell. But Jason was Catholic, not a good one, but he knew he was Catholic, and he wanted Raven watched over by someone other than her father. She deserved more than that. Of all the righteous and superior angels in this world, Jason had leard of angels falling to darkness, however Raven, a demon, had risen to the light and shined. And Good Fucking God Did He Miss Her!

"Hey, little wing," Dick murmured, his hand clasping his shoulder. "Let's get Lilith out of this rain."

Jason said nothing as he nodded, his daughter gurgled as she looked at him with wide blue eyes, there were tints of green and purple coming into them now.

"Thanks Dick," Jason whispered hoarsely.

"Yeah, you and Rae were here for me and Mar'i when we lost Kori," Dick said tightly.

"Two too fucking brave and self-righteous women we picked," Jason said sourly.

"I think it's a mother thing, mothers do anything for their babies if they're good mothers, and Rae and Kori both were good mothers," Dick replied. A tiny five year old appeared and grabbed Dick's hand as they walked back up to the Manor, he was the last one up. Lilith started fussing, her face scrunching up as she squirmed.

"Master Jason, Master Dick, Miss Mar'i," Alfred greeted.

"Hey Al," Jason greeted tiredly. "I'm going to go feed Lilith."

"Allow me, Master Jason, you look as if you could use a shower," Alfred said as he reached over. Reluctantly Jason surrendered his daughter, a tiny new born only a two weeks old, to Alfred's care.

"Thanks Al," Jason managed as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Of course Master Jason, you must care for yourself to care for Miss Lilith," Alfred said as he walked off. Jason just stared at the ground.

"Jay…" Dick started when Mar'i wrapped her arms around his legs.

"Love you, Jaybird," the girl announced.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'm… I'm gonna go, shower," he said uncertainly as he patted Mar'i's head and walked up the stairs to his room.

Jason made his way to his room, pulling off the stuffy coat, yanking at his tie, and unbuttoning his shirt. He was going through the motions, operating on auto pilot, he knew it, but he couldn't think. All he could think about Raven, holding their daughter after thirty-seven hours of labor with a smile. That day… the best and worst day of his life, was the one he couldn't forget. He made it to the shower before the sob tore through him and he found himself sitting on the tiled floor as icy water poured over him. How long he sat there he didn't know.

"Jason?" a familiar voice called out, but he couldn't answer as he pressed his brow to his knees and sobbed, water pouring over him as he tried pull himself together for Lilith.

"Jay," the water was shut off and a robe dropped on him. "You're freezing," the voice announced. Jason didn't feel it, he couldn't feel anything, it felt like Raven had robbed him of his emotions, he just felt numb.

"Come on Jason, let's get you up," he looked up between his wet bangs at his father then.

"Why her, Bruce?" he whispered. "Why of all the fucking people on this planet did it have to be her?"

"Jason," Bruce sighed.

"I understand why her, but why then? Why couldn't she stay?" Jason whispered. "Of all the fucking people in my life to go, why her?"

"I don't have answers Jay, but you're no good for Lilith if you freeze to death in this shower, come on, time to get up," Bruce said and Jason found himself being dragged up. His body pulsed with ache in protest but even that felt distant. Bruce handed him sweats and a tattered Wonder Woman t-shirt Raven had bought him years ago as a joke for Christmas before they were dating. Once he was dressed he shoved his hands in his pockets and stood there staring at his bare feet in his room of the Manor, a room he hadn't really been in since he was fifteen. Now he was twenty-eight, and he felt bad about those wasted years.

"I know nothing I say, or Dick says, or anyone really, will make this easier or heal it, Jason, but you haven't lost Raven completely, you have a beautiful daughter with her, and Lilith needs you," Bruce said.

Jason nodded numbly.

"Artemis and Bizarro will be here soon," Bruce said.

"Where's Lilith?" Jason asked suddenly, he was feeling antsy not seeing his daughter now that he was calm enough not to break.

"In the kitchen, Tim and Stephanie were watching her," Bruce answered.

"I'm…" Jason started.

"Come on," Bruce said as he walked with him.

"Thanks dad," Jason murmured as they left the room.

"Of course Jason, I know we've never had the best relationship, but you're my son," Bruce said firmly and Jason nodded numbly. He honestly didn't have anything to say to Bruce's statement, he didn't have anything left in him. And what little he had left was going to go to Lilith right now, because there was no way in Hell he was letting his daughter down. He'd be a good father for her if it was the last thing he did.

The only problem was he had no fucking clue how to be a father.

"How do you be a father?" Jason asked suddenly as he stopped outside of the kitchen.

"What?"

"I… I don't know how to be a dad, I can't let Lilith down, I have no fucking clue what I'm doing, what if I fuck this all up?" Jason dragged his hands through his wet tangled hair as he cringed and leaned on the wall. Willis had been a shitty father, and Bruce… Bruce was his dad, and even then Jason knew they'd both fucked this up often.

"Jay… relax," Bruce grabbed his arms. "You're not alone, and you're doing fine so far, you just… you have to be there. That's all Lilith needs, you to be there for her. And you're going to be a great dad, and learn from my mistakes, and Willis', and Dick's, you're not alone, we're all here for you and Lilith."

"I'm going to fuck this all up," Jason predicted.

"No, but you're going to mess up, just… just keep trying," Bruce said.

Jason nodded as he reluctantly walked into the kitchen now. Raven was the calm one, the entire time from conception to birth, Raven had been calm about motherhood and parenthood and endured all his freak outs. Now Raven wasn't here.

"Man she's so tiny," Duke smiled at her. Cass wacked him, and Stephanie gently bounced Lilith.

"Well what do you expect? She's like a week and a half old!" Stephanie snapped.

"Two weeks," Jason corrected tiredly.

"Lilith quiet baby," Cass stated.

"She looks like Raven, especially around the eyes," Tim smiled a bit and Jason gently took his squirming daughter from Stephanie who smiled at Lilith.

"She knows her papa," Stephanie whispered.

"She's got your white streak, Todd," Damian snapped.

"Lazarus Pit too," Jason snapped back. Raven had sensed it, and she'd sensed Lilith's great power, stating that their daughter had her powers. A terrifying prospect for him because beyond empathy, magic and telekinetic Jason wasn't entirely sure what other powers Raven had possessed. He'd never asked, and it never seemed relevant since Raven tried not to use much beyond her telekinesis. He was seeing the mistake in that thinking now.

"She seems to like it when you read to her," Luke said.

"Yeah," Jason agreed as he sat on the counter and let Lilith hold his finger as she stared at him with big innocent eyes.

"You know, you'll be fine, Mar'i started blasting me with starbolts when she was three months old, Lilith looks like she'll be an easy baby," Dick muttered looking at Lilith.

"She's got all her mother's powers according to Raven," Jason warned.

"Never mind, you're doomed," Dick countered, Jason punched Dick lightly in the shoulder but didn't disagree.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was a blur, Jason found himself sitting in his bed reading _Fahrenheit 451_ to Lilith when there was a light rapping on the door, he looked up from the book to see Artemis there, Bizarro a step behind her.

"We came as soon as we heard," Artemis said as she walked in. "I am sorry for your loss, the little bird was most formidable though."

"I…"

"Red Him have baby," Bizarro smiled as he lumbered over and stared at Lilith who stared back at Bizzaro with wide eyes.

Jason felt himself about to cry when Artemis was at the bed looking at Lilith too.

"She's a warrior," Artemis declared.

"Um… you want to hold her?" Jason asked uncertainly.

"Me?"

"Here," Jason gently shoved Lilith at Artemis who uncertainly held the baby who squirmed until she was comfortable. "Lilith, this is Arty and Bizarro, they're family."

"She's very light," Artemis murmured.

"Yeah, she's a small baby." Jason admitted. Five pound three ounces, that was the day of her birth. She was also a tiny baby, after… everything with Raven, Jason managed to get Lilith to Dr. Tompkins who said Lilith was too small, and might die because she was so small. Jason had flipped out, after seeing Raven impaled as she dragged her father through a portal, and then hearing Lilith might die. But Lilith hadn't died, she'd stubbornly hung on and lived.

"She's like a little bird," Artemis smiled.

"Arty, Bizarro, this is Lilith Catherine Todd-Wayne," Jason said with a bit of pride. It was the name Raven had picked for if they had a daughter. He hadn't asked for his mom's name to be there, Raven had said she wanted the middle name to be Catherine though.

"Is she to be an Outlaw too?" Arty asked.

"Baby Red," Bizarro cooed as he reached for her.

"Gentle, Bizarro," Jason tensed but the giant bobbed his head as he touched Lilith's cheek and his daughter gurgled. Jason trusted Bizarro with his life, however, the clone wasn't always the gentlest in his strength, but, it appeared the giant was nothing but gentle for Lilith.

"Well, the Red Hood has a littler bird to care for," Arty smiled as she handed Lilith back to him. "You should bring her to the Amazons, we will make a feared warrior of the little bird."

"We… we might need to go there," Jason sighed. "Raven said Lilith had her powers…"

"I see, I will speak to Queen Hippolyta about this when the time comes, of course I will speak to her about allowing you to accompany her," Artemis said.

"Thanks Arty," he nodded.

"We are a band of outlaws, are we not, we must look out for one another," Arty decided. Jason just nodded, too tired to correct her.

"Sleep Red Him," Bizarro ordered.

"Yeah," Jason muttered.

"I will watch her," Artemis said. "No one will harm her."

"Thanks," Jason hesitated as he kissed Lilith's brow before he again surrendered his daughter to the Amazon who marched over to the chair in the corner before sitting down carefully, setting her axe near her and Jason stretched out on the bed, he'd been putting Lilith in the dresser drawer in the center of his bed when he had to sleep, but he felt comfortable enough to leave Lilith in the care of Artemis.

"If she…"

"She will be fine, and should she need you I will wake you, rest now," Artemis ordered.

"Red baby pretty," Bizarro said with a yawn as he sat on the window.

"Thanks," Jason muttered again as he gave into exhaustion.

Turned out he had the Bats and the Outlaws here (though the Outlaws had been disbanded for years). It was good to know he had family for Lilith.


	27. 26 Part 2: Sing Little Nightingale

**Sing Little Nightingale**

Lilith was the most held baby in the history of babies, everyone held her, all the time. Jason was pretty sure his daughter had spent a grand total of five minutes set down. Even Damian, DAMIAN!, would hold Lilith.

Hell, the little demon spawn had smuggled Lilith to his school when Lilith was three months old. Jason, after waking to not have his daughter in her drawer on his bed, had freaked out, only to receive a call from Damian's school saying Damian had brought Lilith there for reasons still unknown. The entire drive to the school Jason cursed his littlest brother and got there, when he got to the office to see the teen holding his daughter, Jason avowed hideous revenge on the gremlin his Lilith was sick and if Damian ever took her again and didn't tell him. Lilith just giggled and sucked on his finger as he left the school.

When Lilith was six months old Jason picked up being Red Hood again, and moved him and Lilith to his and Raven's apartment. Lilith did not like the move, but Jason was feeling antsy staying at the Manor with everyone for so long. Artemis moved in with him for a bit to help him with Lilith and his night activities, to his neighbors she was Raven's much older half-sister.

Mar'i was often over with Dick on weekends to play with Lilith and Jason found himself reluctantly agreeing to Sunday dinners with the Batfamily. Alfred insisted on loading him up with every leftover possible and was over just about every other day after Jason and Lilith had moved out.

It took about a year for them to confirm Lilith's powers were in, and it was an accident really. She was a quiet baby, had handled teething with minimal fuss, didn't cry or giggle really, just wanted to be held. Well, naturally Dick head found out the hard way that his daughter's powers had come in full bloom.

Jason had come to pick Lilith up after having had to deal with Queen Hippolyta. He was trying to be a responsible father and have a plan in place for training Lilith and her extraordinary abilities before they got out of hand. Needless to say, it was not a fun trip because he had to negotiate him coming with his daughter. But he was finally back, at Dick's apartment to get her and Dick accidently tripped over Lilith getting to the door. The hell unleashed in that apartment as Lilith cried, Lian and Mar'i hid, and everything shattered in the building (EVERYTHING!), Lilith had shattered every neighbor's valuables, and every window in the building with her pain, she'd also knocked Dick out and given Jason the mother of all headaches because of her empathy. Jason managed to settle Lilith down though before she unleashed more than just the empathy, cutlery had started rattling as she had screamed before he scooped her up and started calming her down.

Needless to say, he and Dick were miffed, but Jason anonymously paid to have the apartment complex fixed and people compensated for their things. It was just chalked up to one of those 'Only in Blüdhaven' things. Jason honestly didn't care as he took Lilith home.

Lilith spoke her first word at a year and a half old; funny for a little girl who ran around and flew all the time; and her happiness constantly blowing out the lights in his place and breaking glass, she didn't talk (at all). He'd had her perched on the counter; she was watching an old rerun of _Law & Order_ as he worked on fixing his sink. He hit his head and released a string of curses which would have criminals blushing when he heard a light, little voice say 'fuck' and giggle. He'd paled as he slid out from under the sink to stare at his daughter who was grinning and giggling on the kitchen island.

"Lilith?" he said.

"Shit, fuck, damn, bitch hell, fuck, fuck, fuck!" she laughed. Oh he was so dead, Raven would come back from the grave to kill him, and Alfred… SHIT! Alfred was going to murder him! For about the next hour he tried to coax her into saying 'dada' or anything but that! Artemis came over that evening and of course Lilith shouted bitch as loud as she could. Artemis had punched him.

Bruce came over later that week and Lilith had promptly blurted fucker, which had Bruce just staring at Lilith as Jason tried to smother himself with a pillow. He'd never be able to take his daughter out in public again! Bruce had smirked as only Bruce could as Jason recieved the 'I told you this would bite you in the ass one day' look. However, Jason had the last laugh when Dick came over that weekend with Mar'i and Lian and Lilith had promptly called Dick 'Dickhead', Jason fell off his barstool laughing. Dick just gaped at her, Mar'i had promptly asked what a dickhead was, which had the older girl, Lian, promptly attempting to explain what a dick was when Dick put a hand over her mouth.

Of course, Lilith started saying non-curse words when it was just him, or just Alfred, so no one believed him when he said she knew more than the curses. It was like she was the singing frog from Looney Tunes in that regard. Though he had to admit, he had not fucking clue where she picked up chowderhead, flipperhead, and schmuck (okay, he might have known where schmuck came from but not the other two as those were distinctly Boston insults). There were a few others in her vocabulary he knew were from him, but those two; no clue.

Lilith was two when the Joker took her, Jason had been investigating a smuggling ring and Lilith was with Victor at his place. Joker managed to snatch Lilith, and nearly killed Victor, Jason received the video of his daughter's kidnapping, drugging, and her whereabouts; along with every other schmuck in Gotham.

Of course, Joker had done this to him when Dick and Bruce were off on League business, Tim was on a Wayne Enterprise conference, Duke and Cass were in Hong Kong, the Birds of Prey were running around the city on a wild goose chase from Joker for bombs, and the demon spawn was babysitting Lian and Mar'i in San Francisco with the Titans. Jason called Alfred, and thus began the longest night of his life as he systematically ripped apart every villain who threatened his daughter. All of Gotham got a kick out of the Big Bad Red Hood being a Daddy, and his enemies wanted to hurt him with Lilith, Jason was unamused and he was highly trained, highly motivated, and exceedingly pissed/terrified.

Help came from the most unexpected of places when the League of Assassins appeared that night with Talia leading the charge to help him retrieve Lilith. Artemis and Bizarro also showed up, and as they dealt with the rest of Gotham's crime he beelined his way through the mess and carnage to Joker and Lilith. Lilith was drugged, and suspended over a vat of acid, Joker was manically laughing, and Jason saw red.

To the day he died, he didn't know exactly what happened, all he knew was he woke, Lilith in his arms, his helmet broken, his toddler sobbing, and Joker a bloody, mangled, unidentifiable mess of what had once been a human being. Joker's head was impaled on a spike by the time Gordon and his men broke in to raid the warehouse. Lilith's empathy knocked most of the men back and down, but she was familiar enough with Gordon that Gordon got too close to them for Jason's comfort.

"Get out of here son," Gordon ordered. Jason didn't need to be told twice.

Alfred called and said Victor was at S.T.A.R. Labs, he'd be alright, and Talia said she was finished with the rest of the villains. Jason just thanked them both. He and Lilith made it home, Lilith didn't want to let him go and they ended up showering together as he gingerly washed the Joker's blood off his daughter and checked her over. Artemis and Bizarro both stayed the night to his relief. All three of them ended up in front of his TV watching _Beauty and the Beast_ because 'Lenny from _Law & Order_' (Jerry Orbach), was the candlestick and Lilith's favorite. Jason fell asleep with Lilith on his chest and against Artemis' shoulder.

The moment Hippolyta heard about the incident she welcomed Jason with Lilith to Thymescria. Of course, Jason assured her he had about as much interest in dating right then as he did attending the Joker's funeral. Also, after Raven had died, he didn't see much point in dating when he had his hands full with Lilith and he still wore his wedding ring. Raven was it for him, and he knew it, so he was just going to focus on his daughter and breathing. Some days it was just a matter of breathing.

Jason was unsurprised when he discovered Lilith had a love of books (not children's books, books). However, he was surprised Lilith had his knack for languages. She picked up everything, Greek, Egyptian, Latin, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, French, German, English (that was a given since it was his primary language), Azarathian (what of it he knew from Raven), Tamaranian, Swahili, Hebrew, Pashto, Indian, Navajo, Chinese, and Japanese, and a lot of others. By the time Lilith was five she spoke ten languages fluently and could learn the rest, Artemis, Hippolyta, Diana, Bruce and Alfred were all impress, Jason just smirked.

After the Joker, Jason was very hesitant to let Lilith out of his sight, and this had him shirking off duties as Red Hood (also, he was living on Thymescira, it wasn't like he could really be Red Hood, now could he?). Still he ran missions with Artemis, and popped into Gotham often enough to let it be known Joker hadn't scared him off. And after the hell he had wrought upon Gotham both intentionally and unintentionally when Lilith had been taken no one dared to fuck with him.

Lilith was seven when they moved back to Gotham officially, he felt it was for the best, she'd been on Thymescira for five years. Still, he made another deal with Artemis and Hippolyta, Artemis would take over Lilith's training, but also, Lilith would be spending every summer, spring and fall break with the Amazons, but Jason got her for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. A fair deal since his daughter had her mother's powers.

Now came a unique brand of hell he hadn't ever anticipated: first day of school.

Lilith was going to Gotham Academy, Bruce had gotten her in because Lilith was his granddaughter. Also, Mar'i and Lian went there, Lian was in eighth grade while Mar'i was in the sixth grade, Lilith would be in first. Lilith was happy about that. At least she was that morning as she paraded around in her new uniform, her calm personality was from her mother, but she was bouncing in glee.

"Now Lilith, remember: No eyes, no powers, no empathy influencing, no cussing unless it's in languages they don't know, and no matter what, you _**cannot**_ lose your temper," Jason said as he did the final check over Lilith's backpack and supplies, he also took away the case file she's smuggled in her back pack (Lilith had a morbid fascination with his cases, he hid the gruesome ones, but she usually got her sticky little fingers on his quieter ones), and he slipped in _Swiss Family Robinson_ , the original not the unabridged version, for her to read when she was bored. He also pulled three of her tactical knives out of hiding and one from her jacket, he replaced it with the socially acceptable mace though he'd rather she'd have the knives.

"I got it daddy, I'll be good," she smiled.

Oh he was sure she'd be good, Lilith was like her mother that way. Except she had his mouth and, his temper, and about his level of control on her emotions when she was mad. Also, she had all four of her mother's eyes when she was pissed or exceedingly happy.

Jason took a moment to take a photo of Lilith:

Seven years old, black hair, a white streak, green-blue-purple eye, ivory skin, freckles, his mouth and cheek bones, Raven's nose, eyes, chin, and build; wearing her first mini-bomber leather jacket (a gift from Alfred she adored) and prep-school uniform. She was perfect, she was his, and he was trying to figure out when she went from being five pounds and three ounces to seven years old with an angel's smile in a blink. He helped Lilith with her hair, clumsily pulling it into a ponytail like Artemis had taught him before they were out of his apartment, Lilith was sitting shotgun in his black 67 Corvette singing along with the radio. They pulled up to the school, he got out of the car, and went to get Lilith.

"You made it," Dick and Roy grinned, Jason chuckled.

"Lilith wouldn't let us be late for today," Jason said as he got his daughter's door and she shyly came out, all earlier glee was gone as she stared around with an indifferent expression and wide eyes. Instantly she grabbed his hand as they walked over to her uncle Dick and uncle Roy.

"Man, she's gotten big," Roy said. Lilith was still on the small side for a child, but healthy and that was all that mattered to Jason.

"Lilith! Are you excited for school!?" Mar'i appeared smiling, and Lian was a step behind her.

Slowly Lilith nodded.

"We got her Jaybird," Lian smiled.

"Come on Lil, it'll be an adventure!" Mar'i announced. Suddenly Lilith was pressed into his leg, and hugging it.

"Maybe tomorrow, I think today I'll take her," Jason decided.

"Kay, later Jaybird!" an inside joke of the Wayne family was what they called everyone, him and all his brothers were 'something'bird instead of Uncle. Dick was Bigbird, he was Jaybird, Tim was Redbird, and Damian was Babybird (even to his nieces called him babybird).

"I'll meet you guys for breakfast," Jason said to his brother and friend.

"Alright," Dick waved and Roy nodded as they both loaded into their cars. Since Kori's death and Jade's disappearance Dick and Roy had gotten to be like brothers. Both had had young daughters to raise and needed help, Bruce offered help, but Jason got it. Being a single dad was the hardest fucking thing, Roy was kind of Dick's version of what Artemis was for him.

"Kay, come on squirt," he offered her his hand, and he didn't feel weird as he saw other parents (or servants, you never knew with Gotham Academy) walking their kids into the building.

"What if they don't like me, daddy?" Lilith asked in that soft, monotone her mother had had, Jason stopped and knelt in front of her.

"Then they're idiots, and you can do better," Jason said. "The world doesn't need to like you Lilith, only you need to lie you and everything else works out on it's own; trust me. Besides, I love you, Mommy loves you, your family loves you, and Artemis and Bizarro love you. who cares about these losers?"

"Kay," Lilith nodded as she squared her shoulders and looked suspiciously like him about to do something insane or stupid, he just tried not to smile as he walked her to her classroom. She hugged him, he watched her disappear in when her teacher, a Miss O'Malley pulled him aside to talk.

"Mr. Todd-Wayne, we do not normally allow parents to accompany their children," she started.

"We just moved back from Europe, first day, new school I'm sure she'll handle it on her own from now on. She's an independent girl," Jason stated as he left then. Getting scolded for being an involved parent…

He needed a drink because it was too early to deal with this shit.

Instead he met up with Dick, Roy, and Bruce at a diner as they ordered breakfast. Alfred was in England with family, Damian was attending Berkeley, and everyone else had lives to live.

"Here's to the first day of school and days without kids," Roy grinned. Jason chuckled, he knew that they all loved their kids but it was exhausting always parenting and watching over the kids.

Jason was tinkering on the Batwing in the Batcave when he received the call, it was a little past noon when he received the call and he found himself heading for Lilith's school. He found himself sitting in a familiar office, and Lilith's wide eyes looking at him over the back of the chair before she spun around and was sitting there.

"Lilith Catherine Todd-Wayne," he sighed as he sat with her. His daughter now really looked ashamed, all her names used was a fast way to get through to her she was in trouble.

-Lilith, depending on tone was just a scolding.

-Lilith Catherine just meant she was in trouble.

-Lilith Catherine Todd meant she was grounded.

-Lilith Catherine Todd-Wayne had her just asking for the shovel for her to dig her grave (being a smart ass was a trait she got from him and she'd actually asked for a shovel at this point on her name list).

"I'll take the shovel now daddy," she muttered.

"Jason Todd?" he turned and looked at an old classmate, Michelle or something, staring at him. "When I saw a Todd-Wayne on the roster I didn't think she was actually your daughter."

"Uh… yeah," he said dumbly which had Lilith glaring at the principle.

"You might not remember me, Rochelle Hemings, we were in class together," she smiled.

"Right," he replied.

"I'm surprised to see you back in Gotham, after everything that you lived through, it's horrible, I see life is treating you alright though," she said as she walked to her desk.

"Sorry I don't like dwelling on the past, or talking about it, and I didn't come here for small talk, I came here because I got a call about my daughter, Lilith, can you fill me in on what she did?" Jason asked as he gently ran a few fingers through Lilith's tangled hair to reassure her he wasn't made. Lilith bit her lip as she peeked at him and he smiled slightly. Nothing she ever did would earn his wrath upon her, however, until he knew what happened he couldn't be proud or disappointed.

"Lilith appears to truly be your daughter, she got in a fight today with a group of fifth graders.

"And why would she do that?" Jason asked as he looked at Lilith who was now clumping up her skirt and muttering her mother's mantra under her breath to keep calm, but she wouldn't look at him.

"Lilith hasn't said," Rochelle said. "Regardless, the school has a zero tolerance policy and she is suspended for the week."

"Now hold on," Jason started.

"I didn't start it!" Lilith protested.

"It does not matter who started it, the point is, you have sent three fifth graders to the nurses office, the boys will also be receiving a suspension and the school's insurance will cover the medical cost so Thomas Demmings can have his nose set, properly. Your daughter broke his nose."

"Really?" he asked with a bit of pride.

"He pulled my hair," Lilith whispered.

"Mr. Todd! I understand that you were a hoodlum when you went here but that does not mean your daughter is allowed to be one also! You should not be encouraging your hoodlum behavior in your daughter, and you should not be praising her for breaking a child's nose!" Rochelle started.

"Now hold up. First off, my daughter is not a hoodlum or delinquent, as both would require a skillset she does not possess. Second, just because I was a hoodlum at twelve does not make my daughter one, I grew up, and third, if she was defending herself in a fight I'm going to be proud of her and not scold her," Jason snapped.

"What would her mother say!?" Rochelle squawked, and Jason saw Lilith's eyes filling with tears then.

"Her mother would have praised her, and I would advise you not to bring my wife in this," Jason warned. "We'll get Lilith's school assignments and be on our way to suspension," Jason growled.

"Mr. Todd…"

"You said she's suspended and as her dad I refuse to have her fall behind on her education," Jason snapped. Besides, he also had a feeling Lilith was too smart for this school but wanted to prove it. Lilith was up, she grabbed his hand, but he picked her up.

"We'll be in the front office, get the assignments," Jason growled as he walked out of the principle's office. "Kay, demon, what'd you do, who's ass do I need to kick and what was this about?" he asked.

"Today we were asked what our parents did, I said mommy was an angel and she was watching over me in heaven, Trevor and Trevor's older brother's friends said heaven wasn't real and mommy just left. They pushed me, and you said to never start the fights but always finish them so I finished it," she whispered.

"Good," Jason smirked and kissed her temple. "You did good little bird."

"But… are they right?" Lilith whispered.

"About what?" he asked.

"Mommy not being in heaven, I know she was a demon, so what if…" Lilith started quietly and tears welled in her eye.

"Lilith, your mom was complicated, exceedingly complicated, but she died saving you, and if that doesn't get her to heaven then God's an idiot," Jason murmured. He'd never lied to Lilith about her mother's death or why her mother was gone. "Your mom was a queen, if nothing else remember that," he said.

"Do you miss her?" Lilith asked innocently.

"Every day, but I got you, and she's looking out for us," he promised.

"Do you still love her?"

"Yes Lilith," he nodded slowly.

"Good."

"Here's her stuff and her assignments Mr. Todd," a woman said.

"Thanks," he took the bag and folder as Lilith just hugged his neck and they walked to the car. Once he had her set up in her seat they went and got ice-cream. And thus, started the nightmares of school. Lilith was not a bad student, far from it, but the ensuing battles to get her to want to go to school would be epic, and would ruin his apartment and take lots of bribery in the coming years. But it was a worry for a different day.

For today he just sat in Gotham Park with Lilith, and ice-cream and told her stories about her mother.

That night he went out as Red Hood as Lilith did homework with Mar'i at the Manor, and ran into a crying Floyd Lawton. It was a dad thing as they both sat on that roof laughing and crying, and bonded over horrible first days of school their daughters had had. Lawton did him a solid then and said there was a hit out on him and Jason just let the hit man be that night. Jason spent the next morning with Lilith doing the week's assignments, and then he took her to the zoo, that night he systematically tore apart an up and coming gang after him, a cult really, call the Jokers.

The years blurred a bit, but Lilith was ten when she first snuck out with Mar'i (Nightfire) and Lian (Arrow) on a patrol with the Titans. Jason found out when he was with Artemis and Bizarro in the Middle East from Talia who appeared and said she was 'Proud Her 'Granddaughter' Was Following In His Steps' with a smile. He'd turned on the news and seen Lilith in one of her mother's cloaks in a fight against a giant of a thug with Kid Flash II, Shifter, Supergirl, Blue Beetle, Aqualad Nightfire and Arrow. Jason promptly flipped out when the news dubbed his daughter Nightingale, he stole a jet and aborted his mission to go retrieve his daughter.

Artemis and Bizarro chased after him, but Jason was not stopping until he was one hundred percent certain his daughter was safe, and sound, and grounded. Then he'd train her for real beyond the teachings of the Amazons.

Mar'i Grayson, Lian Harper, Thomas Logan, Diego Reyes, Wally Allen, Alura Malverne, Jackson Hyde Jr. and Lilith Todd were all shocked to arrive at the Titan's Tower with him standing there in his Red Hood get up and armed.

"Dad!" Lilith squeaked.

"DAD!?" everyone but Lian and Mar'i shouted at the youngest tag along.

"Uh-huh," he grounded out.

"We can explain!" the three girls shouted in unison.

"Oh No, Don't Even Try It. I will be talking with your fathers," he jabbed his finger at Lian and Mar'i, both girls cringed. "And you are coming with me little demon," he growled as he grabbed the cloak; relieved to feel it was Kevlar; at least Lilith wasn't completely idiotic.

"When you said her dad was a Bat you forgot to mention he's the most terrifying Bat…" Shifter, Thomas Logan whispered.

"Zip it green bean I can and will kick your ass," Jason snapped.

"Dad!" Lilith protested.

"You are not sweet talking your way out of this twerp, come on, Artemis and Bizarro will be here soon enough," he growled. Lilith sighed but walked with him, they made it to the San Francisco safe-house where Artemis and Bizarro were both waiting for them.

"I commend you for your first battle," Artemis stated.

"Thank you," Lilith looked a bit smug as she dropped her hood.

"But that was idiotic, stupid, and reckless, I expect such idiocy from your father, and we will begin your proper training immediately. When more than dumb luck is on your side then you may join the Titans!" Artemis snapped.

"What!?" Lilith balked.

"Oh no, not just Amazon training, Lilith, you're going to learn from me too," Jason warned his daughter.

"This is unfair!" Lilith protested.

"We're not fair, I'm your dad, and she's your aunt, and if something happens to you I won't live with myself, did you think of that!?" he spat out.

"Mom was handling grandfather when she was nine!" Lilith shouted. And That began the first full out war he had with his daughter which had him sleeping restless in his room after Lilith had slammed the door of her room shut. It was around noon when he woke the following day with Lilith sleeping in his bed, stubbornly hugging his arm and drooling on it.

He took a moment just to stare at her, and then pulled her close as he kissed her head.

Fuck! When the hell had she started growing up!? He was so fucking terrified of this day, but there was no stopping it, no avoiding it, she was a Bat and too much like Raven to not join the 'family business'. However, there was no fucking way he was letting her die in this work. If he couldn't stop her, he could prepare and arm her for the real fights, because they would come. And with Lilith's powers he needed her to be prepared. Slowly he released his daughter and pried her off him as he got out of his bed and found Artemis sleeping in the guest room and Bizarro had claimed the couch, a Minion's blanket was draped over him.

He was leaning on the door arch of Artemis' room when the Amazon looked at him.

"When she'd start growing up? Yesterday she was a baby, and now…" he dragged his hand through his hair.

"She is like her mother, but she is a lot like you," Artemis said.

"Nightingale," he muttered.

"It appears appropriate, her mother was Raven and her father was Robin, and a nightingale is a relative to the robin, I think," Artemis said.

"Fuck, we gotta train her," Jason muttered.

"Yes, perhaps we should also speak to the little bird's grandmother about training her."

"One, Talia is not my mom, in anyway, and two, fuck no! I'd sooner lock her up in a tower for all the good that'd do," Jason snapped.

"Very well, then we shall speak to sorcerer friends who can teach her about magic, I will teach her combat, as will you," Artemis decided.

"Great." He muttered as he heard Bizarro and Lilith up and about.

"Red Baby and Bizarro hungry," Bizarro smiled.

"I got it," Jason smiled. Lilith was no longer glaring at him as she sat on the counter.

"I'm sorry daddy, Arty said I really scared you," Lilith muttered as he opened the fridge. He turned around and looked at his daughter, her white streak falling in her face as her eyes looked anywhere but him.

"You did, but I'm proud of you too," he carefully explained. "You're my baby, Lilith, no parent wants to see their baby in danger."

"But Gramps let you all be Robin, and Mar'i's Nightfire…" she started.

"Yeah, I know, but Dick was trained before he started patrolling, I grew up on the streets and was trained, Tim was trained, and you know all about demon spawn's training. And Mar'i didn't start Nightfire until she was thirteen and we were all sure she could handle bad guys, she may have inherited all of her mom's powers, but that doesn't make her invincible. And you might also possess all your mom's powers, but Lilith, Raven worked really hard never to lose control of her powers. I'm not mad because I don't believe in you, I'm mad because I don't think you're fully prepared for this, but we're going to train if you really want to do this," Jason promised and ruffled his daughter's hair.

"We will train you to be smarter than your father," Artemis smiled.

"Now you're just being mean," he muttered and started on making waffles, but Lilith smiled. He hoped Raven was alright with him training their daughter.

Training started on Thymiscira, for real, it wasn't just learning to control her emotions, it was keeping those in check as she fought. Artemis was a ruthless teacher, but Lilith was enough like him that she learned best on the go rather than from demonstration. Jason taught her extensive close quarters combat, he was relentless about it and Lilith picked it up like it was breathing, he also made her a marksman, even if she never used a gun she'd sure as fuck know how to use it. Dr. Fate, Constantine, and Constantine's grandson; Gabriel Michel Constantine (a.k.a. the nutter, idiot, bastard, asshole, fucker, wanker, and many other names from Lilith depending on how Gabriel irritated her), were called in to teach Lilith magic. Bruce had also gotten involved, as did the rest of his siblings and Mar'i (who started training with the Amazons also). Dick taught Lilith to be acrobatic, flight was good, but true acrobatics would be useful. Tim taught Lilith to be precise in her fighting, and to be ahead of everyone. Damian had taken to teaching Lilith the sword, she picked that up quick too. And Bruce was her mentor in being a detective and criminology.

Jason watched her closely through her training, Lilith became more like her mother as she learned. Lilith was calm, she was centered, she was distant, she was friendly, and she was powerful. The full extent of her powers was unknown, but she was powerful.

Jason was called off on a mission when Lilith was about fourteen, he kissed her brow as she promised she could handle a weekend home alone without trouble. He trusted her, but just in case he called Dick's fiancé, Barbara and asked her to keep tabs on Lilith and possibly Nightingale, he'd also arranged Dick to come by in the morning one day, and Alfred the evening another. He wasn't an idiot, he was her father, and he'd pulled the same shit at her age. His only goal was for her not to die like he had.

What he never expected was on this job for Rose Wilson to have the same job he had.

Yeah, that was a real kick to the balls, especially with her knife to his throat and his gun to her head. Yup, that was their relationship, even before he'd been married to Raven. And the kiss was what had complicated said relationship. Which was why Rose and he had ended up in a room in some ratty hotel in Marrakesh, clothes scattered and afternoon raging strongly when he finally got up and started getting dressed. Rose stirred behind him, he rubbed his ring lightly and closed his eyes.

"Hey, you weren't leaving," she murmured as she slid up behind him and kissed his shoulder.

"Yeah, I've got to call Lilith," he said glancing at the time and noting it was time for the morning call, it was a thing with them, a call in the morning and one in the evening; and Lilith had started it when she was a toddler, she also was the one to continue it.

"Lilith?"

"My daughter, Rose," he said dryly as he pulled on his pants and looped his belt again.

"I didn't know you had a daughter," she smiled.

"Yeah, she's fourteen," Jason smiled a bit, and looked at his wedding ring.

"So is the ring just for show or is there really a Mrs. Todd?" Rose asked warily.

"There was, once, she… she died," he replied as he felt the bitter pain of losing Raven slice through him again. "I married Raven," he chuckled.

"Really?" she smiled slightly but then looked forlornly at him. "I heard about her death, I wasn't aware you two had…" she started and trailed off.

"She died when Lilith was born," he said calmly. "And we were quiet about our marriage, Raven was never showy and I don't know, it was just, natural, quiet but natural."

"I'm sorry for your loss Jason," Rose murmured.

"Thanks," he yanked his shirt over his head when his phone rang.

"And you'd be doing me a favor if you stayed out of sight," Jason said honestly as he walked out on the balcony and answered the facetime.

"Hey little bird, how goes it?" he smiled.

"Bigbird can't cook waffles!" Lilith announced as she pulled a face, and he laughed. "He follows Kori's recipe…"

"Well, your aunt Kori was never a cook," he laughed.

"Right, how goes the job daddy?" Lilith asked.

"It's going, how goes training?" he asked.

"I have training with Fate, Constantine, and the nutter, Arty also is taking me flying and Mar'i and I are going to the movies to see that new Marvel thing with Lian, Uncle Red's bringing her this afternoon," Lilith giggled.

"That's good, you being good for Gramps and everyone?" he asked. Lilith might be her mother's daughter, however it appeared she had his affinity for trouble, both creating it and finding it.

"Yeah, oh! Al's gonna teach me that recipe tonight, you know the was with sauce and the peppers!?" she asked eagerly. He chuckled.

"The white sauce?" he asked.

"Yeah! And the chicken, with a side dish, he says I must have gotten cooking from you because Mom couldn't cook," she chuckled.

"No one said your mom was perfect," he mused.

"Where are you?" Lilith asked.

"Marrakesh," he answered.

"I'm looking it up," Lilith said, Jason looked over at Rose who was getting up and gestured to the phone and her stomach, he shrugged and she nodded as she picked up the line.

"Got it, oh, it's pretty," Lilith said.

"And old," he said.

"What sort of magic is there? Oh wow!"

"What do you want me to bring back for you?" he asked.

"Um… can I tell you tonight?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll call you before I leave, be good sunshine."

"I'm always good daddy," she smiled.

"You're my kid, you're trouble," he laughed. She balked then giggled.

"Love you daddy, see you when you come back," she said.

"Love you too, sunshine," he ended the call as room service was delivered. Rose sat on the bed in a robe and smiled.

"She sounds like a good kid," Rose said.

"Uh-huh," he nodded as he looked over what Rose had ordered before sitting with her.

"What does she look like?" Rose asked.

"Well…" he pulled a photo he'd gotten of his photo shy daughter wearing her latest leather jacket, combat boots, jeans and a Red Hood t-shirt Damian had gotten her. Her hair was still inky black, her white streak a fashion statement, and her face was looking like her mother's she definitely had his mouth and cheekbones though. Her eyes had defined more, there was a ring of green in them but they were prominently blue and purple. He handed the phone to Rose who stared at the photo long and hard and smiled.

"She's gorgeous Jay, she looks like Raven," Rose chuckled. "She has your mouth though."

"Oh, you have no idea," he groaned in exasperation. He'd managed to curb most his swearing around Lilith as a baby but it seemed too late, Lilith had his mouth and had made even Constantine and his grandson blush with one of her swearing rants.

"What's that mean?"

"Her first word was fuck," he laughed. Rose laughed too, and Jason found himself regaling an old friend with tales of his daughter's antics. It was nice, but Jason couldn't shake the weighing guilt about having actually slept with Rose. Good Fucking God Did He Miss His Wife!

By the evening Rose was geared up, as was he, he called Lilith again, learned she wanted a magic book, he promised to find it then he went off to work.

He came home a week later, book in hand and a daughter smiling as she opened the door and announced she was a perfect angel while he was gone. That evening he learned from Artemis she'd blasted Gabriel for a prank he had pulled on her and landed the poor kid in Gotham River with Lilith walking away. Jason was just glad dating was not on the list of things he had to worry about yet, because Lilith had also had the same thrilled response to being asked out by one Jackson Hyde Jr. last month. She'd also blasted Alura when Alura had tried to ask her out.

Lilith was fifteen when she made an official debute in the hero world as Nightingale, and it was unintentional. A daughter of Joker's attacked him, Lu-Lu-Lucy wanted revenge for the death of her father. Apparently she'd spent years plotting her revenge, Jason just laughed as he swung chained and upside down and promised Lucy that the Joker didn't give a fuck about her.

Jason had expected Bruce to coordinate his rescue with Damian or Tim, he did not expect his daughter to materialize from the shadows, looking like her mother, her eyes glowing bright and all her contained emotions boiling. The battle was not something Gotham would ever forget, especially the post on YouTube of Nightingale standing over a writhing, screaming Lucy in Gotham Park.

"If You Ever Come After My Dad Again I Will Kill You," Nightingale stated monotonously.

That video went viral as the world confirmed that Red Hood did have a daughter, and she was 'Just As Dangerous As Her Dad'. The world also dubbed her the next Raven, however, Lilith didn't care as she sat with him in the Batcave.

"You're losing a step, old man, if a Looney Lucy could catch you," she muttered when he came to. Jason just sighed, pulled her close as he kissed her head and told her she could join the Titans. She said she was staying a Bat, and working with him until he was better. He just wondered how it was that he had a daughter like her, what the hell had he ever done right to get her?

It was a thought he had as he watched her playing with Mar'i and Lian on the Wayne property.

"You and Master Dick have blessed me," Alfred said.

"Huh?" he turned to Alfred.

"You gave me a sight I never thought I would see," Alfred admitted. "Great grandchildren."

"Thanks Al," he smiled.

"She is a strong girl, Master Jason, you must be proud.

"I have no fucking clue what I did to get her," Jason admitted. He'd felt the same way about Raven when Raven and he had become an official couple. He'd felt really confounded when Raven had said yes to marrying him, and he had only felt determined when Raven had appeared in white the day they had gotten married.

"She is a little angel," Alfred agreed.

Jason let out a laugh and sighed.

"Just call her what she is, a demon, Al," he laughed. "She's hell on wheels, God help the villains of this world should she ever be pissed."

"Agreed, she is her father's daughter with her mother's attitude," Alfred wisely stated as they both looked at Lilith settle in the sun and grass and start reading a book.

He enjoyed his time at the Manor again, even when Artemis showed up and scolded him ruthlessly for letting his guard down, Bizarro just gave him the big puppy eyes which had Jason feeling guilty. Lilith stated he should feel guilty, he'd scared them all. Jason just surrendered and avowed he'd never be that stupid again.

It was maybe a month after he'd healed and was living alone in his apartment while Lilith lived with the Titans for a bit that he got a call from Dick who was panicking. Which lead to Jason, Roy, Tim and Damian being dragged to San Francisco and staking out the Titans.

"You do realize your daughter is twenty, right Nightwing?" Jason asked as he sat overwatch with Dick.

"Yeah, but…"

"Twenty! And Arsenal, you're kid's twenty-two! Aren't you both a bit out of the age range for worrying?" Jason snapped in the comms.

"Nonsense. We're dads, we never cease to worry," Dick counter. Jason rolled his eyes.

"I am now very pleased Spoiler stayed home," Tim muttered.

"Shut up, Spoiler's a pro at this pregnancy, honestly, Star was blasting me every five minutes or crying," Dick snapped.

"Cheshire threw things at me, or cried," Roy pointed out.

"Hood?" everyone prompted.

"Aren't we spying on your two idiots' daughters!?" Jason snapped.

"Actually, just Nightwing's, but now that I see my daughter with Green Arrow's son…" Roy growled. Jason was really glad Lilith had Raven's interest in dating at fifteen (none).

"The kid is nothing like Green Arrow," Dick pointed out.

"NOT THE POINT!" Roy growled.

"Both of you shut up, focus," Jason snapped. Fucking batshit batty dads! If he ever went this crazy Artemis was allowed to punch him around the world. Jason frowned seeing Mar'i walking out on the arm of Clark's third son, Jordan Thomas Kent smiling as they kissed. Dick growled.

"Get over it," Jason snapped.

"I can't wait for Nightingale to start dating and see how you handle it." Dick spat at him.

"See, I don't have to do that, Nightingal is like me and her mother, and isn't boy crazy!" Jason pointed out maliciously. Besides, he doubted Lilith would waste her time on an idiot like Thomas Logan or Jordan. Lilith was smart, and he had confirmed her interested in guys, just not interested in dating.

"Strive to be more like Hood!" Damian's voice snapped over the comms.

"Wow, I never thought I'd hear that from the demon spawn," Jason said.

"Neither did I," Dick omitted. Jason sniggered then, oh boy, Damian was never living this down! EVER!

"I hate you all," the new Batman snapped, Jason laughed all out then, it couldn't be helped. Lilith materialized behind him and hugged him.

"Hey daddy! Who you and bigbird spying on!?" she asked as she looked over her shoulder.

"Dickhead is spying on Nightstar," Jason answered.

"How'd you know we were here!?" Nightwing balked. Lilith and he gave Dick a level blank stare then. "Oh right, empathy, you are too much like your mother for our good."

"I take that as a compliment," Lilith decided.

"On a scale of one to ten how serious is the Nightfire and Superbrat dating?" Nightwing asked.

"About a six and a half right now, steadily moving to seven unless Superidiot does something stupid like his brothers," Lilith answered as she tugged at her cloak.

"Fuck!" Dick hissed.

"Language!" Jason and Lilith sang as they both looked over the city.

"That's rich coming from the two of you," Tim stated in the comms.

"Hey!" they both protested, but Jason had to agree.

"When's Arty coming for training again?" Lilith asked as she floated there in a meditative stated.

"Dunno, Arty has a life outside of us, you know that, right?" he asked his teenager.

"I know, but there's this chick at the Tower Bats I said was okay and she's not as fun to train with as Arty," Lilith said.

"And what's the name of this person who dare to bore my daughter?" he asked dryly as he continued surveilling Mar'i.

"Ravager," she answered and he stiffened slightly. His wedding band now felt heavy and constricting, and he was a bit angry hearing Rose was here without telling him. "She's not bad, but I don't know, I like training with Arty better."

"Huh, we'll haven't you just tried calling Artemis?" he asked.

"No, I was afraid she was busy," Lilith admitted.

"Arty always answers your calls," Jason and Dick said in unison.

"Love you dad, good luck spying on Nightfire, she told me to tell you to knock it off by the way," Lilith said as she stood, and Jason laughed. Dick gawked like a fish out of water and Lilith smiled as she walked into the shadows and disappeared.

"That's cheating," Dick hissed.

"Whatever, you heard the kid, let's move out, and I'm sure Red's anxious to be home with Spoiler," Jason said as he stood up. Stephanie and Tim were engaged, their wedding was coming after the birth of their child, Tim wanted a son, Stephanie wanted a daughter. It'd been an argument since Stephanie had announced she was pregnant in front of the entire family. Jason however was planning to be coming back here for a little heart to heart with Rose and warning Rose off whatever mission she was on.

The chance to talk to Rose presented itself when he got a call about Lilith being in the hospital, she'd been struck by a vehical according to the civilian report. According to her uncle Victor she'd been attacked by what appeared to be Trigon minions. Jason was at the hospital as fast as he could get there and sitting with Victor in Lilith's hospital room when Rose appeared.

Jason dragged Rose away from his comatose daughter and ended up in the cafeteria.

"I don't know what you're up to but if you mess with my daughter Rose there is no measure to the wrath I will rain down upon you," Jason warned coldly.

"I didn't come here for her," Rose snapped. He lifted a brow.

"Alright, completely for her. I was offered a job, a contract, by one Sebastian Blood, he wanted me to kidnap Lilith; specifically he wanted me to kidnap 'Raven's daughter'. I've been trying to figure out how to tell you for a month! In the mean time I thought if I was close to keep an eye on her…" Rose trailed off.

"Sebastian Blood?" Jason growled lowly.

"Yes," Rose nodded.

"The same fucker who tried to marry my wife?" Jason snarled.

"One in the same, he wants to marry Lilith now and use her for the vessel of greatness Trigon promised them," Rose said slowly.

"Oh Fuck No!" Jason roared. "When she's all better Blood is dying! My daughter is off limits!" he snarled as he stalked back to the hospital room where Lilith was healing. The good thing about her being a quarter demon and having her mother's powers was she healed like her mother too. Quickly.

Lilith woke three days after her attempted murder, not happy, and in pain, after he had managed to calm his daughter down; luckily before her powers and emotions started breaking things he talked to her calmly. Explained why Rose had been there and asked her if she wanted him to read to her. Lilith had nodded and he started reading the book off her nightstand, _Emma_. Jason had several nurses swooning reading the book to his daughter but he didn't care about them.

When Lilith was moved to the Tower in perfect health (the doctor praising it to be a miracle, Jason just thanking Raven's demon physiology on saving Lilith) he told her he had a job and would be gone for a bit. When he returned though, they were going to the movies and having a father-daughter day.

He found Blood in phoenix hiding in the center of his cult. There was no holding back as Jason tore the cult apart and got to the leader, killing the fucker with the simple warning that his daughter was off limits. Jason returned before the winter solstice, Lilith's birthday was the winter solstice like her mother's had been the summer solstice. They ended up going to three action movies, 5A5 Steak Lounge, and ice cream for her sixteenth birthday.

"Think mom would be proud of me?" Lilith asked as she munch on the cookie-dough Blizzard she'd ordered from Dairy Queen.

"Yeah," he answered as he sipped his milk shake; yeah, it was fucking December, on the docks, by the bay, in freezing weather and he was eating ice cream with his daughter. In-fucking-sanity! He was freezing! But this was worth it.

"I know I never knew her, but I miss her," Lilith said softly. Jason stopped as he stared down at his daughter.

"I do to," he replied.

"You know, when I used to be mad at you I would sit in my room, and pretend I had a mom, pretend she'd have all the right things to say, and she'd do my hair properly, not like you did, and she'd be… my mom," Lilith shrugged.

"She would have adored being your mom," Jason smirked.

"Really?"

"Yeah, but you might have always had short hair, kid, Raven didn't play hair or dress up," he chuckled.

"Rats," Lilith mused. "You're the best dad ever," Lilith decide and he wrapped his arm around her as he pulled her close. This was his kid, his fucking kid, and she was perfect, there was nothing better in his life, Lilith was perfect.

"What brought this on, squirt?" he asked.

"I was just… I met that demon and he said how his father would be most pleased…" Lilith said.

"Uh-huh, pleased about what?" Jason prompted.

"You know how you talk about the Pit being in your head?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yeah."

"Well, it was like that, but this voice… it wasn't a part of me, it was so angry and hateful and demanding I do things that weren't… me," Lilith admitted. "Then there was a calm voice in my head, and I don't… this wave of power?... and it knocked me back, it came from here," she gestured to her chest.

"Your soul form?" he suggested.

"No, mine's a nightingale, hence… Nightingale, but the calm voice… I think it was mom's, I swear I hear 'you'll never touch my daughter' as the blackness emerged when the demon lunged for me, it was a raven," she said.

"A raven?" he asked, his voice tight.

"Yeah, think…"

"Lilith, your mom was… amazing, if you say it was a raven, then I can fully believe that it's Raven looking out for you, your mom was capable of so much…" Jason shook his head. "If she could defend you from beyond the grave, then she'd do it."

"You think?"

"I know," he countered. "She loved you so much, sunshine, so much, just as much as I love you, and she'd have done whatever was needed to keep you safe."

"I miss her dad," Lilith whispered as she hugged his waist.

"Me too, kiddo, me too," he promised.

It was late at night, after Lilith was sound asleep that Jason walked through the Tower. He found Victor's wall of the fallen, stuffing his hands in his pockets he slowly walked down it as he looked for Raven's picture and paused when he reached it.

It was a picture of their wedding day, she was dressed in something simple and white, black pearls from Bruce as his truce were around her neck and she was smiling her ghost smile. Jason had this picture tucked in his jacket, however the other picture he had tucked away for the just him moments was his favorite. Raven straddling his bike wearing jeans, boots, his red t-shirt, and his favorite leather jacket reading _The Odyssey_.

Jason just stood there for a long time staring at the photo.

"Do you miss me as much as I miss you?" he whispered to her photo. "Sixteen years later and some days I have to remind myself to breath I miss you so fucking much. Why'd you of all the fucking people in this wretched world have to go?

"You should be here, with Lilith and I, you'd probably know what to do, what to say, how to help her, because I have no clue what I'm doing Raven. None," he looked down. "She's all you, she's got my mouth and probably picked up my surly attitude but she's all you. I don't know how I've gotten this far without eternally fucking her up or damning her to hell, but I think that's you.

"I just wish you were here to see her, Raven. She loves cars, motorcycles, planes, she's Artemis' favorite, she's advanced her magic and honed her criminology skills, she's an amazing acrobat, a marksman, and the best fighter I've seen of her generation, and yeah, I'm a bit biased, I'm her dad. She's smart, Raven, really fucking smart, and she's amazing.

"And you should be here with us," he muttered. He felt it then, it felt like something warm and cool wrapping around him and he closed his eyes as he remembered for a moment how it felt to have Raven with him. beside him, around him, near him, where she belonged.

'I'm still with you,' a smoky, flat voice whispered in his heart and his eyes snapped open as he found himself standing alone again. Tiredly he sighed and walked back to room which had once been Raven's, a room he'd used to try to break into. Stripping he fell on her bed in nothing but sweats as he looked at his ring.

"I still love you, Raven," he murmured and let the sleep which normally eluded him drag him under.

Tomorrow he had to get up and make waffles for his daughter.

Tonight he was a tired, broken hearted man who missed his wife.

And Jason found he could live with that. He could continue living like this because Raven would want him to live and be here for their daughter.

So Jason would wake up in the fucking morning after a heavenly dream about having Raven with him again, which would break his heart, again, and he'd smile for Lilith and make her waffles.


	28. 27 Moving in Together

**Moving In Together…**

Alright, so she'd never actually thought about moving out of her rent controlled apartment. Not even in the two years she'd dated Jason. Nope, it wasn't even a thought on her mind, mostly because she and Jason were comfortable, and they didn't mind living in two different cities, and with Jason's chosen occupation and his odd hours it was just easier for them both to have their own places. At least that's what Raven thought until she was walking down her block and there were three fire trucks, ambulances and billowing smoke as a fire raged in her building. She ran to her neighbor, Nancy then.

"Nancy! What happened!?" Raven demanded.

"Tommy torched the place!" Nancy coughed and Raven remembered the physco ex of Nancy's who had avowed to burn her to the ground. She saw the cops then walking Tommy, who was laughing away and Raven sighed. "This is all my fault! Now our building is gone!" Nancy was sobbing.

"It's alright, it's not your fault, and no one will blame you," Raven countered. They were talked to by an organization when Raven's phone rang.

"Hey sunshine," a voice greeted her.

"Hey red," she replied monotonously.

"So, what's going on?" he asked.

"My building was torched by a physco ex of one of the tenants," she admitted.

"No shit, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, my apartment is gone," Raven clarified.

"Where are you, little bird?" he demanded.

Standing on the corner of my street," she answered.

"Good, stay there, I'm in the city, I'll be there in twenty," he said.

True to his word he appeared twenty minutes later, dressed in jeans a t-shirt and a leather jacket and looking exhausted and worried as he walked over to her. Raven found herself wrapped up in strong arms for a hug and she sagged into him.

"Come on, you're staying with me," he said and took her bag, the only thing she owned now, which had her book of Azarath, two spell books, and her world history text book, along with her computer, chargers, and three notebooks. That was the sum of her existence as Jason tucked her into his side and walked her to the subway station. Getting to Grand Central Station to take the commuter train from New York to Gotham.

Sitting with Jason raven finally sighed as she just hid her face in his chest and kept her focus on her center.

"This sucks," she muttered as they neared Gotham nearly an hour later.

"Yeah," he agreed. "On the bright side you're moving in with me, finally," he laughed.

"Jason, I love you, I adore you, but I'm a New Yorker, anything in New Jersey, especially Gotham, is a downgrade and traitorous exchange!" she hissed.

He laughed.

"I'm now living in New Jersey," she muttered in horror.

"You lived in San Francisco and another dimension, love. I don't think New York is your center," he mused.

"Jason Peter Todd! I only say this because I love you, shut up! New Jersey sucks, and I'm a New Yorker," she swatted him.

"Whatever you say little bird," he laughed. "But you love a native New Jersian."

"The horror," she rolled her eyes as they pulled into the stop.

"At least I cook," he mused as he again tucked her into his side.

"True, you have good points, but New Jersey, Jason," she sighed. "Even people from New Jersey don't like New Jersey."

"You only say that because you're a New Yorker, and it could be worse," he said.

"How?"

"I could root for the Yankees instead of my Knights," Jason pointed out.

"True, your Knight suck, and my Mets are awesome," she smiled.

"I happen to like my Knights, thank you very much," he countered.

"Just admit it, they suck," she mused.

"Why do I love you again?" he asked dryly.

"I have no idea, when you figure it out tell me," she replied seriously. He just smiled and kept her with him as he navigated Gotham for her to get to his place. Raven wasn't thrilled about being in Crime Alley, but at least Jason's place was safe, and it was close enough to the commuting station she could still get to her classes.

"Mi casa, su casa," he smiled as the door opened and Raven sighed walking into a place that was like her second home, she had three drawers, and closet space here, and she'd stored some books here. "Get a shower, I'll make dinner," he said as he dropped her bag on his sofa.

"Are you going out tonight?" she asked before she walked into his room.

"Nah, it's been quiet here anyway," he shrugged and she nodded as she disappeared in the bathroom. Her shampoo and conditioner were here, along with her preferred body soap, she'd bought them a few weeks ago when she'd realized she spent enough time here she should be comfortable. Also, she didn't need to smell like Jason every time she ran late for classes because she'd been in Gotham instead of home. Also, Jason had had things at her place, before it'd burned down.

Once clean Raven picked up one of Jason's clean shirts, and a pair of yoga pants, she walked to the kitchen as he served up some steaks and vegetables. She sat at his island and sighed.

"Thanks for letting me stay here," she sighed as she dragged her fingers through her short black hair and frowned.

"Of course, Rae, you're always welcomed," he smiled. She just sighed.

"Now I have to apartment hunt again," she groaned; she had hated that the first time when she was eighteen and leaving the Titans and hero life to just be Rachel Raven Roth!

"Not necessarily, I was serious when I said you could move in," he said.

"What? But…" she started. "You like your space, I like my space…"

He shrugged.

"I like your company, you're easy to be with, and we give each other space, sunshine," he pointed out as he walked over to her, she twisted back to look up at him a bit. "And I've been meaning to ask you for a while, if you want a different place we'll go apartment hunting but I want you."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, even if I have to move to New York for you," he sourly stated, a smile pulled her lips as she stared at him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, but as a native New Jersian, I feel like a traitor," he stated.

"No one likes Jersey, red, no one, all the crazies live here," she deadpanned.

He laughed.

"So what do you say?" he asked.

"Um… yeah, but we can stay here for now," she said reluctantly. "You like your place, and it's a nice place, even for Jersey."

"I have safe houses in New York too that are nicer than this if you've got your heart set on New York," he smiled.

"Mmm… we'll look, but if I don't like…" she warned.

"Of course," he kissed her. "No matter what though I'm keeping my Knights."

"They suck Jay, epically."

"Shut up, you're a Mets fan."


	29. 28 Falling in Love

**Falling in Love…**

To be completely honest…

And this was just him.

He Didn't Do Love. Period.

Jason Peter Todd didn't do love, not because he wasn't interested (okay, partially because he wasn't interested), but why the fuck would ever trust someone enough to love them when he had the worst track record in the love department (ANY LOVE DEPARTMENT!).

His birth mom didn't want him and had handed him over to Willis and the Joker. Willis had hated him, or just hadn't cared. His mom had loved him, but not as much as she had loved her drugs. Bruce had claimed to love him; and Jason still had reservations about that since Bruce couldn't kill the fucker who had killed him, but Jason was trying to see it how Bruce saw it. Dick had been a shitty brother the first time around and Jason knew there was still a part of Dick which didn't trust him at all. Same thing with Barbara, she didn't trust him. Tim kind of did, but if Jason moved to fast or did something sudden he could have Tim freezing. Damian hated everyone. Alfred was everyone's honorary grandfather and while Jason was sure Alfred loved him in his stoic British way, Jason didn't always feel that love. And do not get him started on the overly complicated relationship he had with Talia al Ghul.

Then there was his minimal track record with women, which wasn't great, but at least his love life wasn't as fucked up as Dick's or Tim's. Still, he'd had a good thing with Donna for the minute they'd happen, and bygones be bygones, they weren't meant to be and she was in love with a professor. Then there'd been Kara, and that had been fun, at least until Kara started sticking her high morals and perfect nose in his business, that had ended in a wonderful flaming wreck (literally, the woman had lit his minimal things on fire on the Brooklyn Bridge). Star and he were over before they started, especially when Roy walked in and Star fell for him and Roy for her, Jason had been more than happy to step aside for that. And then there was the overly complicated relationship he had with Rose Wilson; enemies/friends with benefits, an on again off again, hook up, semi-serious thing from the time they met until Rose had vanished doing whatever it was she did and he wasn't committed to waiting for her.

Which brought him to the current woman he was seeing, the one he never even looked at, who snuck up on him. Don't get him wrong, Raven was a gorgeous woman, but he hadn't been looking and now here he was at a year in his relationship with Raven and baffled that this was the longest he'd lasted (Rose Did Not Count! On again and off again wasn't a committed relationship, and the longest stretch he and Rose had gone was six months before she had bolted and disappeared into the night. And it'd been two years since he had heard from her and starting this thing with Raven so he wasn't even cheating).

Jason looked over the edge of his book at Raven who was curled up in the sunny reading nook of her apartment, and blissfully unaware of the world around her.

Had it really been a year? Jason thought about it, mentally ticked it off in his head, and remembered Dick's passing words this morning about making it to a year and Jason looked at Raven again. He frowned and then turned his attention back to his book. It hadn't been a year, Dick had to be messing with him. Jason did not do relationships, and he could barely hold a friendship for a year let alone a relationship. (Artemis and Bizarro did not count because they were family to him, like Roy and Kori, but loose contact was maintained; they weren't suffocating as the Bats were.)

"Alright, what is bothering you!?" Raven finally snapped which had his head snapping up as his girlfriend slammed her book shut and glared at him.

"Uh…?" he blinked.

"Your emotions are driving me nuts Jason! And normally you're like a storm but today you've been a hurricane, what is it!?" she snapped.

"Nothing," he lied.

"Jason," she sighed as she sat at the dining room table. "I'm not prying, but something is on your mind. You can talk to me, I'm not going to yell at you, I'm just begging you to get a handle on your emotions, you've got me so agitated I think it's my own emotion."

"Sorry," he chuckled. Sometimes it was easy to forget she was an empath and a demon with how normal and quiet she was.

"What is it? Do you want my help? Or is it your thing?" she asked as she rubbed her temple.

"Um… our thing?" he said. She gave him her blank poker face which had him nervously dragging a hand through his hair. "How long have we… been going out?"

"Um… well," Raven's brow furrowed in thought as she bit her lip and concentrated on it. "A little more than a year, I think, we had that date at the café in spring so… over a year."

"Well shit," he muttered.

"Why?"

"Dick congratulated me on making it a year steady with one girl," he said and Raven snorted then froze.

"Dick?" Raven blinked.

"Yeah."

"A year?"

"Apparently."

"How the hell did we miss that!?" she demanded, her powers making things rattle.

He shrugged.

"I think we're over a year, not by much," she muttered and looked like she was in deep thought now as she frowned and stared at nothing.

"Good sex, good food, good books, we're set," Raven decided as she settled back in her seat.

"What?"

"No point in getting huffy over an anniversary we're not even sure we have, and why worry about an anniversary in the first place? It's like a birthday, a nuisance," she stated so matter-of-factly he relaxed.

"Could have anniversary sex," he pointed out.

She looked up from her book with interest then and he felt amusement rolling through him as he looked at her dark eyes and wondered how the hell a fake date landed him here.

"It is an idea, but we have sex all the time, so it wouldn't be special or anything," Raven blandly pointed out. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as he rounded the table on her. Her eyes never left his as he set her book on the table.

"Perhaps it's not special," he mused. "But I find you fucking irresistible," he warned and grabbed her, she wrapped around him with ease.

"You're lucky I find you addictive," she murmured in that smoky voice which had him remembering why Raven was an innocent seductress as she kissed him slowly. Her legs wrapped around his hips, and her fingers were in his hair.

He dropped her on her bed as he stared at her.

So he wasn't going to say it out loud, at least not yet, but he really just might love this little demon as he came over to kiss her.

He just hoped that if he did fall for her, she didn't break what was left of his heart.


	30. 29 Doing Chores Around the House

**Doing Chores Around the House…**

Rachel Roth was very accustomed to doing chores around the house, she was a maid after all. She was employed by the Ander's family, but she a new one who was not needed.

Which was why she was now fresh off the boat and here to work for the Wayne family. Her uncle's war friend, a now butler to a prestigious American family, Alfred Pennyworth, had penned her uncle about needing help, and her father penned back saying how she needed a real job. It sounded like her uncle was kicking her out but he wasn't, Uncle Jack Williams was very kind to her, but money was getting tight. Rachel couldn't blame them for needing her out of the house, she was a spinster in the making. Her one suitor, a stable boy, Garfield Logan, had fallen hard for the hat shop keeper's daughter, Terra, and there were no prospects of marriage in Rachel's future. Also, her uncle had three children of his own to feed. She could not fault them for needing her gone, and she had graciously accepted Alfred's offer in exchange for half her wages to go to her uncle and family.

Rachel was the bastard child of a rape, her mother had died giving birth to her. Her father had been killed when she was fourteen by her hand when he came to take her away in the night and Rachel fought to live.

Rachel was really lucky her Aunt Alice had stepped in and taken her in, despite the village's claims of her being a witch child, and taken her in. But it was time Rachel left the nest, she was twenty-three, a spinster becoming, and Mary-Beth, Billy, and Jessica were coming of age and would need to be set up in good marriages. She would pay her uncle back for his kindness for everything he hadn't had to do, and accepted the job in the States at Wayne Manor.

Which was why she was walking off the boat, with her simple grey dress, and her hefty trunk of her measly belongings, and the family insisted essentials, and looking at a man older than her Uncle Jack dressed in a fine Butler suit.

"Miss Roth," he said.

"Mr. Pennyworth," she greeted.

"I am pleased you accepted the posting I had listed," Mr. Pennyworth said as she helped him load her trunk up.

"It's a wonderful opportunity, and everyone knows that the Wayne home is a good home," Rachel said as she sat on the carriage bench with Alfred.

"Yes, now, Mr. Wayne has four sons. Do not expect to see much of them, they are active young men. The eldest is Master Richard, the second is Master Jason, the third is Master Timothy, and the youngest is Master Damian," Mr. Pennyworth filled her in and Rachel listened attentively the entire ride from the Gotham docks to the Wayne Manor.

Rachel was to be the only maid for the family's private wing. None of the other servants, other than Mr. Pennyworth entered the area, and she was instructed to be as quiet and as invisible as possible in the care for the young Masters' rooms. Rachel had only obtained the position because of her uncle and the Ander's butler, Victor Stone, praising her ability to do her jobs without being seen. And Rachel frankly did not want the attention, she held no interests in courtship or marriage anymore, and she wasn't one to dally.

And thus, cleaning became her life, a life of silence as she cleaned up after the mysterious men she only caught glimpses of in passing.

Master Richard was a messy man, his clothes were often scattered about his room, and Rachel cringed at finding molding fruit beneath his bed. Also, his drapery was a tangled mess all the time, no matter, Rachel found that a thorough cleaning of his room, usually her Saturday was in order. She beat the rugs, scrubbed his floor, aired his mattress, cleaned his sheets, did his laundry, polished his shoes, and washed his drapes. His massive four post bed railing and the chandelier in his room were always covered in chalk for whatever reason and she found herself cleaning it every day.

Master Timothy was a hoarder, of all manner of things, from rubbish to books. He had countless notebooks scattered about the room and stacks of books. Rachel often times found a return trip to the library to return all he hoarded in order. Also, his room needed a thorough cleaning every three days, and not once a week. The only rule was she could not wake him, Master Timothy was an odd one who did not sleep all that much or eat, the number one rule of the Wayne house was one must never wake him wherever he was sleeping. If he fell asleep in the hall then one was to use another hall, if one found him in the library, or study, or parlor, they were to leave silently and immediately. Rachel knew him to go days without sleep before cashing and she usually just draped a blanket over him and left him be.

Master Damian was a hoarder as well as his brother, the only difference was Master Damian hoarded animals. The first time she walked into his room and saw a tiger cub on his bed she'd just about screamed before slamming the door shut. Immediately she spoke to Mr. Pennyworth about this, and soon Wayne Manor had a zoo for Master Damian's 'pets'. The tiger cub was not the last animal Rachel found hoarded away in Master Damian's room, in the first year she dealt with everything from rats to an elephant calf (she was still trying to figure out how Master Damian had smuggled that in without anyone noticing). She found a thorough cleaning of his room in order, daily.

Master Jason, the wanderlust child of Master Wayne's brood, was frequently gone. However, Rachel took out much time to clean and air his room. Even when Master Jason was home his room was always orderly and clean, as if he cleaned it himself. Rachel liked his room the best to slip into for a breather because so frequently it was empty, and no one would come looking for her in his room. His room was also filled with exotic books, journals, charts, and weapons, all very fascinating and she wondered where he went to, to get these.

Rachel's other charges were the Master's elderly parents, Master Thomas and Martha Wayne. A sweet elderly couple who often ignored her as she went about her duties. Though Mrs. Wayne sat Rachel down once a week for tea, because she was an old lonely woman. Rachel was drafted as Mrs. Wayne's hand maid more often times than not when the Waynes decided to host a party.

As to Rachel's final charge, that was Master Bruce Wayne, and he was a kind, scholarly man who was of keen intellect. Rachel thought him interesting, but she frequently found herself cleaning up after his dalliances the morning after parties. Rachel handled it with ease. All of Master's Bruce's sons were adopted or bastards, and no one in society breathed a word of it. Especially not when the family portrait of the Waynes showed four young men who looked a bit like Master Bruce, sharp blue eyes, and handsome features with thick black hair.

Rachel found herself busy in her new job from before dawn to past midnight, however she was paid handsomely for her discretion not to gossip about the family. Also, Rachel, a taught literate from her uncle, penned her family about her adventures in America once a week. Not that they were much in adventures, but life was never dull in the Wayne Home.

And for over a year that was her life, a life which ran her ragged, and had her falling asleep with her feet still in her shoes and propped on her room's stool as she lounged in a batter chaired she'd bought after her first wages.

The other servants of the house treated her with scorn but Rachel honestly did not care, she would spend her rare days off at a book shop in Gotham not too far from the Manor and read in her room by her window. Her attic room was rather cozy compared to what she had had, and it was the largest servant room aside from Mr. Pennyworth's.

But that brought her to her second year in America, and it was her day to clean the private library, she was standing on the top of a ladder as she dusted, her black hair pulled up, and her dusting tarps laid out as she worked on organizing the books properly as she went. No one was home today, it was Sunday and the Wayne family had a standing obligation with the city's orphaned children, they'd be gone all day. Which was why she picked today to clean.

Which was why the sound of the door bouncing open had her jumping as she spun on her ladder, wobbling as her ladder teetered, and gasped as she fell to straddle it so she didn't fall off.

"Sorry! Are you alright!?" a voice asked as she felt her shaking ladder still.

"I'm fine," she squeaked, refusing to look down, well aware that he could see her undergarments; whoever he was.

"Alright, why don't you come down from there little bird," the voice coaxed.

"I can't," she said primly as she scrambled to hold onto her minimal dignity. Still refusing to look down at the man. "And you should not be in this library, this is the family's library!"

"Um… I'm the family," the voice laughed which had Rachel looking down then and finding herself staring at Master Jason's laughing face.

"I apologize Master Jason," she said.

"No problem, now seriously, get down, you're going to break your neck, little bird," he said firmly.

"Oh, well if it's an order from the Master then I must comply, but I am warning you I will only be right back on this ladder after you leave the library," she smartly replied, paling at her audacity to let her tongue loose rather than hold it. Still, she obeyed and stopped a few steps from the bottom. "If you'd be so kind as to move, Master Jason."

"Here," he offered her a hand and Rachel reluctantly accepted it as she hopped down and now dusted off her skirts as she looked up at Master Jason.

"What can I do for you Master Jason?" she asked as she bobbed her head and wiped her hands with her rag.

"Well first, you can introduce yourself little bird," he smiled.

"How rude of me, I'm Rachel Roth, the maid of the family quarters," she said simply as she finished cleaning her hands and clasped them before her.

"So you're the little ghost Al hired," Jason chuckled.

"Yes, if you do not require something, Master Jason I must insist on getting back to my duties as your family should be returning in exactly four hours and I need this room spotless for Madame Wayne," she said.

"I'll help," Jason shrugged. Raven stiffened as she felt the blood drain from her face. "I can't leave a lady to do the dirty work on a rickety ladder on her own now can I?"

"Yes, yes you can, Master Jason, I'm certain you are exhausted from whatever journey you were on, I will prepare you a bath, but I will then resume my cleaning, alone," Rachel stated.

"Hold up, sunshine, I'm not tired, and you are not cleaning in here, on that, unsupervised," Jason snapped.

"And the Master of the house should not clean," she retorted.

"How about a compromise, I've brought home tea, we share a cup of that, and then I hold the ladder, because you will fall and break your neck, and I don't think Grandma would handle a dead body in the library very well," Jason stated.

"Very well, as you are apparently not leaving."

"Glad you see it my way," Jason smiled.

"I don't, I merely have tasks to finish and if humoring you will allow me to compete them sooner I will," she omitted. He laughed and she found herself being herded out of the library and to the kitchen as he made himself the tea. Rachel just sat there stiffly as she waited for him to complete his task, then he sat as he waited for the water to boil.

"So little bird, tell me about yourself," Jason said.

"There is nothing to tell," she replied.

"I doubt that, everyone has a story," he said.

"And for what purpose would you wish to know my story, Master Jason? It is a dreary tale anyway and not one worthy of being told," Rachel dismissed and he smirked.

"And why wouldn't I wish to know the tale about what made a maid so certain in her position in the house to dare to sass a Master of the house?"

"Oh, that is simple, no other maid would ever willingly work in the Wayne private quarters," she stated primly and he laughed.

"You seem quite sure of that," he mused.

"I am, no other maid would handle Master Damian's assortments of pets, or Master Timothy love of sleeping in the most unnatural of positions in the oddest places in the house, or Master Dick's mysterious need to tangle his drapery and have chalk all over his room and foot prints on his ceiling," she said with a straight face.

"You raise a fair point," Jason mused. "And what peculiarities would you mention of me?"

"Oh, those I dare no say, that would be gossiping," Rachel said as he handed her a cup of tea.

"And discussing my brothers with me isn't?"

"It isn't, in fact I figure you know a great deal more about your brothers than I, and therefore have learnt of nothing new from my information," she replied.

"Crafty little bird," he cheered her.

"But if I may, what is you do to acquire such a… unique, and exotic assortment of weaponry, and books," she said as she sipped the tea.

"I'm my father and grandfather's international agent for the family business," Jason said with a smirk.

"Is that so, must be a very interesting job," she mused.

"Well I have a natural gift for languages so it's a good job for someone of my skills," he said.

"I see," she nodded and sipped her tea.

"You don't want to know more?"

"I do, however I'm trying to finish this delicious tea quickly so I may return to my duties, I do not have time to discuss your job with you, Master Jason, when I have my own to attend to," Rachel said.

"At least your honest," he chuckled.

"Of course, I am, lying is tedious, and quiet exhausting," she sighed. He laughed.

"Careful little bird, I might like you," he warned.

"I doubt it, I am very dull compared to all the high bred ladies you no doubt know, and to all the exotic people you must meet," she replied.

"You'd be surprised at how dull it all gets when everyone has a double meaning."

"That would be exhausting."

"As oppose to what you do?"

"I am a shadow, Master Jason, a very good little shadow who does her job and enjoys her days off to read," she confessed. "I am content to spend my days with books, who never lie as opposed to people who never say what they mean."

"You could teach the world a thing or two little bird," he said.

"Please stop calling me that, my name is Miss Roth," she said.

"I'm afraid I can't, sunshine, you see you look like a little bird, and I still see you wobbling on that ladder looking ready to fly," he said.

"I thought it was snap my neck," she dryly commented.

"Well that's if you had actually taken flight, but you're tiny enough I'm sure you could have flown."

"Well, the tea has been lovely Master Jason, but I must finish my chores." She informed him as she downed the last of the tea; wishing she could have savored it for it had been good, but she had work to do.

"Alright then, lead the way little bird," he gestured as he stood.

"You aren't…" she stared at him in horror.

"Oh, I am," he smiled. "And as Master of the house, you have to comply, let's go."

"You are the oddest of your peculiar brothers yet," she huffed and walked briskly back to the library where she resumed her work. the afternoon moved swiftly, Master Jason was excellent company and had thousand of book suggestions as she continued rearranging the books. It was when she finished and she was moving her supplies out that Mr. Pennyworth appeared.

"Ah, Master Jason, I was unaware you were coming home today," Mr. Pennyworth said.

"Sorry about that Al, however, I have had a wonderful afternoon with little bird here," Jason gestured to her and Rachel felt her cheeks heat a bit at the compliment.

"Master Jason I do not believe you've ever praised anyone so highly," Mr. Pennyworth announced.

"Of course not, which is why tomorrow, Miss Roth will have the day off and be accompanying me on my various errands," Jason smirked.

"I am?" Rachel blinked.

"Of course," Jason nodded.

"You are up to something Master Jason," Rachel warned as she glared at him.

"Of course I am, I'm going to have a wonderful day tomorrow with your exquisite company," he said.

"I'm afraid I cannot spare Miss Roth tomorrow, Madame Wayne will require a handmaid and Miss Roth is currently fulfilling those duties until I can find a suitable replacement for Miss Lane," he said.

"Tell Grandma I'll make it up to her, and I got those pearls she loves," Jason smiled.

"Very well," Mr. Pennyworth said and gave her a smile, Rachel just sighed as she finished moving her equipment to the attic again. Jason helped her.


	31. 30 Pillow Talk

**Pillow Talk…**

Pillow talks weren't their thing, even as they both lay there gasping for breath after several rounds of heated sex; which was honestly some of the best sex he'd ever had in his life. Raven just wasn't the sort of girl to seek compliments, and with her being an empath he doubted she didn't know how she made him react. Tonight however was different as they both lay in his tattered bed in a safe house, his Red X uniformed shredded, and Raven's own uniform was in tatters.

"We've got to stop this," Raven sighed.

"Yeah," Jason agreed and then Raven was straddling him as she glared down at him with dark eyes.

"I'm serious Jason, you're Red X and I'm a Titan," she snapped.

"I know, princess," he caught her chin and coaxed her down to him. For well over three years they'd been trying to stop, they'd gone cold turkey on the sex and cut each other off in communication, but here they were, twenty years old, and in the very position they kept stopping.

"So make me leave," she pleaded.

"I can't," he murmured as he kissed her, Raven's fingers tangled in his hair as she held onto him tight, his free hand cupped her ass and she gasped as she pulled away, he kissed her jawline, nipping the sweet spot which had her moaning as her fingers dug into his shoulders. There was a push on his psyche and he felt her pushing her emotions on him as she took his from him, he groaned, as he sucked the spot on her collar bone which would have her moaning. Her head fell back, he kissed her pulse as his hand slid up her spine.

"I love you," she whispered painfully and he stopped which had him looking at the shining eyes Raven. "I love you, I love you, and I hate that I can't leave."

"Me too," he promised. He'd long since come to the conclusion that aside from Raven being his drug of choice, he loved her. And it was the sweetest poison he'd ever tasted.

"They're going to find out about you," she whispered.

"I know," he murmured.

"So make me leave," she pleaded.

"I can't," he answered again and pulled her to him for another kiss. He might be caught and tossed in Arkham with his killer, he might be seen again and tracked, he might get the unwanted attentions of his old life after his resurrection, but it didn't seem to stop this thing he had with Raven. No, he loved her, she loved him, and it was as complicatedly simple as that as he rolled her into the mattress that squeaked in protest.

"I can't ask you to leave sunshine, you're the only good thing I have left, and I'll be damned if I make you go," he murmured. "I'm a selfish bastard that way, little bird, and I love you too much to let go. So please don't leave me," he whispered.

"I can't seem to leave," she murmured and he saw a tear escape her as he kissed her again. They were both fucked, they were doomed, it was a fucking tragedy already foretold and doomed from the first look. However it didn't seem to stop them, so tonight they'd be together, they'd have pillow talks, and he'd see her smile.

Come tomorrow he'd go back to being Jason Todd, Red X and Red Hood, and she'd return to being a hero, a Titan, the saintly demon.

"I love you," she chanted and he groaned hearing it from her because she was the only one to ever mean it. It was after midnight when Raven was staring at him, her fingers tracing his stubble, and jaw as he pulled her as close as he could.

"What if we just ran?" he murmured. "Just ran and disappeared to be completely normal and boring?"

"Could you?" Raven whispered.

"I'd have a bag pack if you came with," he answered honestly.

"Where would we go?" she asked.

"Where do you want to go?"

"New York," she answered.

"Really?" he asked amused.

"It feels the most home," she murmured as she burrowed into his chest.

"New York it is, Long Island," he decided.

"And what would we do?" she asked.

"Anything, anything you want," he answered.

"Mmm, that sounds nice, no hero life, just a boring life, in a quiet house, on Long Island," she smiled.

"I'll get an honest job," he muttered in disbelief.

"Really?"

"Yeah, or make an identity and go to school," he said.

"I like this," she yawned.

"Me too," he sleepily agreed.

The next morning he was surprised there was a small duffle by his door and an empty bag at the foot of his bed.

'If you're serious and not just talking to the pillow I'll be at the airport with the tickets, bring my bag. If not, keep the bag, and I wish you the best Red.

-R'

He smirked as he stood and dressed, he looked at the scattered uniform, shoved a few clothes in his bag before he checked her bag and saw it was her favorite clothes and a few of her favorite books. Jason pulled on his leather jacket as he left the crappy safe house and went to the air port.

Raven was standing there, looking nervous, and human, her black hair swirled in the damp air, and she looked uncertain. She had her own bag on her shoulder and he jogged to her. Wrapping an arm around her waist he hoisted her up for a light kiss before he set her on her feet.

"So, we're doing this?" he asked her.

"Yes," she nodded and he wrapped an arm around her.

"And what is the name of my girlfriend?" he asked.

"Rachel, Rachel Roth," she smiled a bit.

"Nice to meet you Rachel Roth, I'm Jason Peters," he informed her.

"I love you," she whispered in his chest as he pulled her close. He just kissed the top of her head.

So the pillow talk was a plan of action.

He liked it, and he loved where this was going with Raven. New starts, fresh beginnings, no more looking over his shoulder, and no more guilt for her.


	32. Bonus: Soul Mates

**Soul Mates…**

As a child, he hadn't given two shits about that precious mark he didn't have. He'd been too busy trying to survive, keep his mother safe from his father, make sure that they weren't starving, and to make sure she wasn't killed by her dealers. Not that it had mattered all that much, his mother had still died, and the system had tried to break him forcing him to run away.

And on the streets was when he'd learnt about the marks, soul marks, signifiers that there was someone out there waiting for you and only you. He'd have loved to dream about that the nights he'd been freezing, or starving, or about to be killed, or when the city was silent. However, he did not have a mark.

It was a funny fact, most the other kids with marks lived with the hope that they'd meet their other half, however, Jason didn't have such hope. It was as if the world had decided he wasn't even worthy of a simple mark, of the simple hope that there was someone out there who'd care about him enough to want him. So in his retaliation to the universe he was going to live, he wouldn't die simply because no mark marred his battered skin.

Jason Todd would not die because he was going to be alone for eternity. He would live and nothing was going to keep him down. At least, nothing was going to keep him away from these hub caps and the hot meal they promised him…

* * *

Azarath did not have soul mates, or any of that nonsense. Which was quite liberating to Raven because she did not think she could stand it if she were to kill them because of her fate. However, it didn't stop her from admiring her mother's mark. It was so beautiful, so lively, so different from anything on Azarath.

'Did you ever meet him?' she had asked once, her mother had just sighed as she picked her up for Raven had been a very small child; before the monks had taken her away from her mother to be trained.

'No, but earth is a large place, far larger than Azarath and I didn't look. Instead I had you,' Arella had smiled and Raven had been happy.

Two weeks later Raven was training, and learning about her demon abilities. And she felt that maybe it was for the best she didn't have that mark. Not just because she was the Gem of Scath and Trigon's daughter and the portal for her father so he could destroy worlds, though those were all legitimate reasons not to love someone. However, she felt it was for the best she had no mark because she couldn't love whoever it would have been. It wasn't that she didn't love, but she couldn't ever feel or express it, it would forever be locked away and that would just be cruel to whomever fell in love with her.

Yes, it was for the best to unmarked.

* * *

Funny, being unmarked was something his mentor had envied, and Jason had hated Bruce for envying that. Bruce had two marks, and that was two more than Jason was ever likely to have. However, Jason shoved the resentment of Bruce's envy away, deep down in the abys of himself and he focused on the fact someone wanted him. Someone could actually love, it was amazing.

He'd been given a room in the manor, all the food he could ever dream of, and school! It was… everything he'd ever wanted. At least it was until the media got wind of him being Bruce Wayne's newest adoption, and then they went nuts when someone leaked it to the media that he was unmarked…

Jason hated it.

The entire upper class of Gotham started looking down on him as not only the street rat Bruce had adopted, but the one who'd be forever alone. It was infuriating, and Jason lashed out to anyone who had dared to pity him not having a mark.

He told himself he didn't need or want a mark.

He would be happy, he'd be a good Robin, and he'd be a good son for Bruce and a brother to Dick. Even when no one believed in him, even now with his new family no one believed in him. But he'd prove them wrong. Especially Dick and Bruce, they might have been his new family, but he'd prove them wrong. He'd be better than they ever were.

* * *

Raven learned so much, there was so much about her duel natures to learn and she found it so fascinating. Terrifying, for she was her own greatest fear, but it was fascinating.

The Magic, it just came to her, it flowed, it felt as natural as breathing and as right as living. Even if she had a natural aptitude for the darker side of Magic, she still loved it. She'd never be like her father, or like that thing she was supposed to be, so she felt comfortable using her darkness for good. It scared the other Azarathian children away from her and she was frequently left alone, but it was better that way.

One of her abilities she couldn't turn off, it was her empathy, her greatest gift and ultimate weakness, and being surrounded by people hurt her. So many emotions, no way to block all of them out though she was learning to center herself in meditation. It was truly best that her human nature hadn't marked her.

The Azarathians all looked on her with fear, she knew humans would look upon her with hatred and disgust, and she'd handle that when the time came, but until such a time she sought solitude, sought he peace in silence, and lived for the contentment she felt when she was alone. Raven held no place in Azarath, or in her father's realm, or on earth, she was a creature which belonged alone, and she'd learn to live with it.

* * *

Bruce was going to bench him, and probably pitch him out, Dick hated his guts, and there was really no one aside from maybe Alfred who'd care if he died. Even after all these years; because he was almost fifteen now, he didn't belong. He was the fuck up, the disappointment, the screw up. Dick was off playing intergalactic hero in that horrible disco costume and the new 'Nightwing' persona. Bruce was going to bench him because of 'the diplomat incident'; which had actually happened how he had said, he hadn't pushed the guy off the roof, though he was tempted to. But the point was Bruce believed he'd actually pitched the prick off the roof and he was being benched.

Well, they'd never wanted him in the first place so Jason was leaving.

He'd managed to track his birth mother down, and he was… he'd find a home with his birth mom. She'd want him, she was his mom. Right? Moms wanted their kids. Moms always loved you, and cared about you, and… and believed in you. He hoped she liked him, he wasn't all that likeable, but he hoped.

And maybe she'd be proud of him, unlike his father or Bruce. God, he'd tried so fucking hard to make Bruce proud of him but there was nothing he could do. Well, aside from one thing; which was impossible, there was nothing he could do. Bruce would never just look at him, as his son or Robin, and simply say 'I'm proud of you, and I love you'. No, that wasn't Bruce's style, and Jason didn't… he didn't want to look at Bruce and see the disappointment anymore. He was so tired of that.

Jason pulled out his phone as he stood there at the boarding gate to his flight and called the one person who might care that he was leaving.

There was no answer, but Jason wasn't expecting one as he smiled at the proper voicemail, then the beep.

"Hey Al, I was calling so you don't panic. Don't worry, I'm fine, I'm heading off to meet my birth mom. If B should ask tell him I said thanks for everything. Later!"

He hung up, pulled his phone apart, dropped it in the trash as he walked onto his plane with his ticket in hand. For the first time since his mom had died and Bruce had taken him in, he felt hopeful. Truly hopeful that he'd have someone who would just want him. Sitting in his seat by the window he pulled out his iPod and pulled on his headsets as he stared out the window.

Ethiopia here he come…

God, he was so nervous. He'd also kill for a cigarette to settle his nerves right about now. Staring out the window of his coach seat he watched as they were taxied out and then he felt the push of force as they picked up speed as his stomach dropped at the wheels leaving Gotham.

He'd officially left Gotham.

* * *

It had been an accident! No nine year old should have had the power to open the door between worlds, dimensions, and galaxies! However, there he stood in all his terrible glory, people screaming and vainly trying to run for their lives. She just stared in horror as he smiled and she screamed when he killed her mother first. Then there was the blast of energy and Raven screamed as all that pain shredded her mental barriers and ripped her soul apart. All her people's agony, their fear, their pain, everything, it flowed into her as her own.

'I've been looking for you Gem,' her father had growled as he snatched her up, she whimpered.

'There's a prophecy to come true, you will play your part, girl,' he growled as he took them back to his hellish world.

Her empathy was killing her as she felt all the pain, the death, the hatred, she screamed some nights, and others she contemplated breaking out of her prison and falling into the flames. However, she focused, centered herself and continued her practices of Azarath to keep her dark nature locked up. She would not let her father beat her down, he did not get to win. She was stronger, she was the Gem of Scath and she would find her own path, she would not surrender to fate.

She had sought her father out, and she may have accidentally let him destroy her people, but she did not need a father. She did not need him. Despite everything he had spewed, everything he told and taught her, she did not need him.

He needed her.

And Raven was going to exploit that need of his and escape this hell and warn earth of her father. If a nine year should have the power to summon Trigon and had, then what could a now twelve year old do? Raven didn't know, but she was not going to let that prophecy come or come to pass, she would destroy it. She was stronger than even Azar had thought she could be, and now she would break out of hell.

Raven was no one's daughter.

She was the last Azarathian, not a demon.

She was the Gem of Scath, not a fucking door!

She would destroy her father, she would not serve him. Raven refused to serve him, she would keep her center, and keep herself strong and under control, no one got to break her. Which brought her to her plan as she started looking at her options. If Trigon did not control her, then fate did not either, she would defend her mother's home world. She would not fail Earth as she had Azarath.

'Stupid girl, you will never escape me, I am a part of you, forever,' her father would whisper some nights when she did not learn a lesson he wanted her too.

"I am Raven, and I will not break," she whispered to herself as she searched her soul for her escape.

* * *

He should have fucking known, he supposed, he should have just known that there was no way anyone would ever love him. Spitting out blood on the Joker's face he smirked defiantly, he wasn't going to break. He may fucking die, but he sure as hell wasn't going to fucking break! Not for the Joker, not for Bruce, not for his mother! He'd break for no one. A grunt escaped his lips as the Joker threw him down and continued his beating. Jason dared to glance at the woman who had given birth to him and he gasped as he felt another rib give under the Joker's beating.

He might die here, but he'd… he'd do everything he could to protect his mother. Even if she didn't love him he could try to prove to her he was a good son. The beating came to an end, Joker had some smart quip to say before slamming the door, Jason just fought the pain which wanted him to black out. slowly he moved his broken body so he could slip his wrists under his feet and staggered to them, the cold numbing the pain as he stumbled to the door. He had to get… he had to get her out of here.

Fighting the locked door he felt the tears well up, gritting his teeth he slid to the ground and gasped for air he couldn't seem to get.

It was too cold, he was too broken, and the door was locked. He was going to die here.

His mother was already scouring for her way out of here when he heard it. The barely audiable tick, which had his head falling to the side and the red glared at him.

Bruce wasn't saving him this time, Jason accepted that as he let out his shuddering breath. Bruce wouldn't save him, however Jason wished, just wished once more, that he had had a chance to call Bruce Dad and tell him he loved him.

"Come on, I've found us away out, but I need your help," his mom crouched in front of him, he hugged his ribs.

"Forty-five seconds, take shelter, those crates," he murmured. Her eyes widened and she left him again. Jason just sighed, so this was why he didn't have a mark. He was dying, and no one would ever care about him or his death. Too bad he hadn't had the chance to prove the world wrong. He watched the clock, he knew his mother was safe, and he felt at peace with dying.

He was a kid from Crime Alley, he'd made it to almost fifteen, that was more than was expected. He would even be an old man to some kids there. The thought had him smiling a bit. It was alright, Bruce… Bruce didn't need to save him and Dick didn't need to care about him. This was alright.

The explosion hit him with full for and there was a nanosecond of pain before there was nothing.

* * *

Raven had beat him, by sheer dumb luck she'd beaten her father back long enough for her to open a portal and dive through it, now she stood there, twelve years old, on shaky legs in a new world, her mother's world. She'd have been relieved had she not felt so exhausted and spent which had her collapsing weakly in a garbage heap.

The important thing to her was that she had made it here.

Turns out, here was New York City, New York. Raven's minimal knowledge of the English language from her mother helped her figure that out. On a box of moving pictures she saw colorful people fighting off people who were clearly bad, and Raven decided she'd go to them for help first.

Finding the Hall of Justice, as it was called, wasn't hard, it was in the Financial District of New York, it was a big star on all the maps she found. After a week here she had a good handle on the language, she was starving but a guy named Marvin was helping her survive on the streets. He was sweet; nuts, but sweet, and Raven thanked him when he helped her collect enough cans to get a subway pass. She even had some money left over and got to have a hot meal.

Her first hot meal on Earth was waffles, Marvin insisted they were to die for. Raven agreed.

After that she smiled at Marvin and he waved her off as she rode the subway to the Hall of Justice. She was a grubby street kid who no one paid any attention too. She arrived at the Hall of Justice and felt the first victory in a while then she walked up to them, trying to speak in English to someone for help. She tugged on a black cape and stared up into the sad eyes of a cowl.

"I need help," she said. "Earth is in danger…?" she said uncertainly. In her frustration she started talking as fast as she could to explain what was coming, and the black wearing man knelt to her level.

"What did you find Bats?" a red wearing man appeared, Raven blinked at the new comer.

"A girl, appears about twelve, looks human, I don't know the dialect she is speaking," the black cowl said matter-of-factly, Raven felt his overwhelming grief and sadness, she wanted to take it away, but she remembered her lessons in Azarath about how she could not take it or replace it.

"What is she?"

"Gem of Scath," she stated.

"Ever heard of that?"

"Let's take her in to the League, learn more," the red one stated. Raven followed them, she could save earth, she hadn't been strong enough to save Azarath but she could save earth. Especially with their powerful heroes! She wouldn't fail them, she wouldn't fail earth!

She never expected a Magician to destroy her hopes.

* * *

He vaguely remembered coming to life, he had nightmares about his coffin and digging through earth, the street. However his first real, tangible memory, was the pit, the pain, the blood, the fury and he remembered Talia there.

At first he didn't notice it, he'd been so focused on his training, escaping and getting to Bruce to say he was sorry for everything. It took him a year since the his resurrection to even notice it. Which was odd because it was right there, right on his heart.

A mark.

The cruelty of such a thing appearing on him after his resurrection had him laughing and wanting to burn the fucking mark off. However, he found it to also be a mesmerizing to look at. A red bird, with four narrow white eyes. He'd looked up the silhouette of the bird, it was a raven.

In his private time he wondered who this belonged to, but most the time he wished pity upon the person who bore his mark, Ra's was looking for them to control him, not that it would work. If Talia couldn't control him, and Bruce hadn't been able to control him, what made them think that finding whoever had the other half of this wretched mark would make him fall into line?

However the mark was irrelevant when his rage at Bruce and being replaced was discovered. And the fucking Joker was still alive! The rage he felt at this discovery had him becoming a good slave to bide his time.

They would suffer, they would all suffer! He'd break Bruce's precious rules if only to get justice, real justice, for himself and the countless masses of people the monster had killed. Jason was not going to live on a fucking planet where the Joker was still alive! He didn't care if the fucking apocalypse came, so long as the Joker was dead he wouldn't care.

He could die a happy man knowing that he'd kill the Joker. However, once he was unleashed on Gotham his rage knew no bounds as he went after the assholes who he had dared to think of as family before his death! They hadn't treated him like anything but shit before his death, he'd give that to them in return. They would know how it felt to be betrayed.

Talia set him up with a lot of money, he was trained, he was highly motivated and this was going to fucking hurt them as much as they had hurt him. He didn't care if it was Talia's beloved who he killed, he didn't care which brat he killed, and he sure as fuck didn't care how they'd feel about this. They left him to the monsters, he became a monster. They'd have to deal with it.

They were all going to feel his pain.

No one would stop him. And as he went about destroying the Bats and Joker he'd clean up Gotham.

* * *

Raven liked life with the Titans.

Dick had found her a year after Zatanna had destroyed her attempt to save the earth, Raven hadn't given up on defeating her father. Yet. However, when she looked upon the team her friend had assembled, the team she had drawn together by accidentally projecting the future she had glimpsed, she realized there was no way they could stand against her father.

No one could, and the thought had her feeling so alone as she kept the knowledge to herself and struggled to enjoy what time the earth had left. She would never be strong enough to fight Trigon on her own, she'd never have the strength to defeat him, or save the Earth, all she could do was enjoy the time she had with the very first friends she'd ever have.

It was with this stark realization that the time would end that had had her missing that small mark which appeared on her heart. At least, she didn't notice it until Slade delivered her father's message and all the brands burned her skin, the pain she felt as her father's dimension seeped into her psyche had had her screaming out as Slade showed her, her father's will.

However, once in the safety of her room again, and all her friends safe in the Tower, when she had showered to cool her burning skin, and when she had gone about cutting her hair in her bathroom she noticed it. All her brands had recede, all of them gone, except the mark on her heart.

Her eyes widened realizing what it was and for an hour she just stared at it, half her hair cut and half of it long. The mark, it was a nothing special, nothing fancy, it was rather simple, and beautiful. A red raven with four pure white narrowed eyes.

Gingerly she traced it, then she looked at it, it wasn't special, she warned herself. And it wasn't ever going to work for no one would ever be able to love her, and the end of the world was coming. However, the mark gave her hope. Marks wouldn't come if the world were going to perish? Right?

Then again the universe seemed to have a sadistic streak in it somewhere and Raven doubted she'd ever meet whoever held the other half of this mark. Instead she tightened the towel over the mark, avowed to never look or think about it, and continued slicing off her hair. Demons did not love, they did not fall in love, and they did not get good endings. She was the monster to be slain, and if she could die before her father's prophecy arrived she would. However, she didn't want to die, not yet.

She wanted to live, there were things she wanted to do, things she wanted to experience.

For now though she would just continue with her life and when the time for her father's arrival came she hoped that she'd be able to fight him.

* * *

He was twenty-two the first time he met her.

She had a team of younger teens, the newest Robin, a Speedster, the Superbrat, and a kid called Blue Beetle. He'd accidentally stumbled into the Titan skirmish because he'd been tracking down a child smuggler, he never intended to get pulled into the fight with aliens. He'd been about to be killed when she appeared, a swirl of black, a huge raven soaring and then there was deathly silence as the shadows settled and she stood there with a swirling cape. He gave her props for being more dramatic than Bats on making an entrance. Also, she was fast, black magic had had him at her side faster than he could have avoided it.

"What are you doing here?" he had snarled.

"I'm trying to catch Robin before he does something reckless, you?" she has asked in a monotone.

"Child smuggler, what's with the aliens, sunshine?" he had asked, amazed at how quickly they had fallen in step with one another. He was used to fighting alone, to have someone who wasn't much of a fighter fall into step with him; both in a fight and verbally, was interesting.

Raven interested him.

It was after the fighting when Raven had grabbed Damian Wayne's ear and was chewing him out, he was laughing and all the other young teens looked sheepish. She dragged Damian over to him and forced the taller, bigger, and more lethal boy to thank him. Jason laughed at how Raven manhandled his little brother, Damian al Ghul-Wayne, a teen with more pride than humility, was brought down by Raven.

Raven had his undivided attention at that point.

After the mission he found himself stopping around the Tower, having a few cups of tea a month with Raven, she let him come around and it was soothing. Aside from books and tea they seemed to end up with a lot in common. Until it came to cooking, Raven could not cook and he found it amusing that even the original Titans, and his brothers all cringed at the mere thought of her cooking.

Hanging around the Tower forced him to reconcile with his brothers, which wasn't so bad, but anytime Bruce showed up he was gone. He'd sooner gnaw off his own arm than deal with Bruce. No one seemed to get his rage at Bruce, and he stopped trying to explain how betrayed he felt with what Bruce had done. Bruce tried to explain but honestly, Jason didn't give a flying fuck what Bruce's excuses were.

He did however take full advantage of being welcomed home by Alfred and would sneak in to hang out with Al. And slowly he started to be drawn in by his brothers again. Every so slowly he found a real family, and he found a few good friends in Roy and Kori. Raven was someone he felt most at ease around though, and that didn't feel like it was going to change.

* * *

The first time she saw her mark on him, her heart had stopped, she'd dropped her tea, and he had looked over at her. Damian, Jason, Tim, and Dick were all still dressed in their pajamas and barely awake, it was morning coffee for them. Jason in nothing sweatpants, Raven couldn't look away from the mark on Jason's chest.

Dick had been at her side demanding if she was alright. She had shaken her head and lied saying she had a vision, but it was nothing. Leaving the boys behind she hid in her room for a long time as she let out a shuddering breath. She'd known Jason for four years now, he was a good friend, a true brother to his brothers, and a good man. Not the man they wanted, but a good man all the same.

After calming herself, putting the things she'd managed to throw around with her turbulent emotions away she changed and walked down for training. The recruits were all there and Raven stood at the controls of the obstacle course watching out for the kids.

"Hey, you alright, sunshine?" a voice asked, she forced herself to remain centered and indifferent as she looked over at him as he took a seat beside her.

"I will be fine," she assured him. "I occasionally have visions," she admitted.

"Looked like you'd seen a ghost this morning, little bird," he smirked.

"In a way, I did," she softly stated.

"And it disturbed you?" he asked. "You shattered a tea cup this morning and bolted."

"It… startled me, but I will handle it," she said firmly.

"Whatever, I gotta go, later princess," he smiled a bit and was gone. She waved him off as he ran to Kori's ship and disappeared. Groaning she let her hands drag through her hair in frustration. Jason had a girlfriend. And even if he didn't she wasn't his type.

It was that evening when Raven lay on the Tower roof staring at the stars that she decided she'd leave the marks alone. She couldn't love, not because she didn't want to, but emotions and she were dangerous, it was best to not love.

Damian appeared that night and sat with her. He had to ask about soul marks, apparently that had been this morning's topic of interest with his brothers. Dick had noticed Jason's mark, said something about him not having one before death and that had lead to the boys talking about them. Damian showed her his, and asked about it so innocently that she remembered the young ex-assassin was still a teen and he did have a soft side he didn't expose overly much.

Raven patiently talked with him, all the while her mark felt like it were burning and Damian nodded at the end of their talk.

"They're stupid."

"They are."

"Do you have one?"

"Yes."

"Do you know who it goes with?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Do they know?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I cannot love and it hardly seems fair to be their match when I can't love," she had stated. Damian had nodded and left the topic alone.

* * *

Jason's girlfriend of nine, nearly ten, months was Kara Danvers, a.k.a. Supergirl, and it was great. Kara had no mark, and Jason wasn't seeking out his mark, they worked. It was good. A bit annoying that she didn't seem to think bad shit happened; the woman was annoyingly optimistic and happy, but it was a good thing for him. He felt… light, around her. And once Kori and Roy had become a thing Kara had stopped being paranoid about him and Kori being friends. She didn't seem to mind Raven, but Kori was someone who had Kara turning into a nagging bitch.

Which was why this mission, after nine, almost ten months of dating he had taken Raven instead of Kori, mostly so Kara wouldn't be a bitch about it, and went hunting a dangerous ring of hitmen. Raven was very calm, he was the chaos.

Funny, Raven, so still and quiet, tolerated being on a mission with him; Jason hated the quiet and he had to be moving all the time. He'd been that way since his childhood, and even as an adult it was this way. The only times he was still and quiet was when he was focused on something dangerous or about to do something insane.

The night they raided the warehouse Raven had gone in after him, her body left behind because her first assault was her soul form, he'd gone in spraying bullets, and the criminals had screamed in terror as he laughed in glee at being alive. God he had never felt as alive than in the moments he was in a fight. Raven saved his ass, and it was later when they were tying up the criminals, and Raven was looking over information that she truly saved him.

He hadn't sensed it, Raven had shouted, he had twist just as she slammed into him, the three shots hit her center mass as he shot back and killed the fucker. Then he was over her. She was bleeding, he called Oracle for help, he kept his hands on her wounds, there was a boom and Cyborg appeared, they were back in the tower and he sliced of her uniform as Cyborg went to work, pulling bullets out.

She must have been desperate to forget to use her powers as a shield, he had thought and then his eyes landed on her chest. Peaking out beneath her bra was a mark, he waited until Cyborg and he were finished, when he told Cy he'd get her in the hospital gown and to a bed, that he had managed to pull the bloody bra aside and his eyes widened a bit at the sight of his mark on her chest. Swiftly he got her changed and settled then sat beside her.

He supposed it was obvious when he thought about it. He loved any time he'd get with Raven, the moments when he'd have her undivided attention, and he had thought her to be gorgeous. However, Raven's emotions were something which kept her isolated from the rest the world, she was Azarathian, and half demon, he'd always thought that whatever connection he felt for her was one-sided and never tried to pursue it.

Later Cy reappeared.

"Did you know Raven has a mark?" Jason asked softly.

"Soul mark? Yeah, no I have no idea what it is, but she's said she has one when asked. Damian asked her first, rest of us weren't… we weren't going to ask." Victor admitted. "Why?"

"Because she has mine," Jason muttered and that stopped Cy.

"Does she know?"

He shrugged. He'd honestly forgotten about the stupid mark unless Kara brought it up, it was just a tattoo was what he told people. It wasn't likely anyone would know the difference.

"No shit!?" Victor gaped at him.

"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it," Jason admitted.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know? Figure it out when she wakes," he decided.

"She's going to fight you tooth and nail on this," Victor warned. "Raven's… not one to be emotional or to have open emotions."

"I get it," Jason shrugged. "She's fucked up, I'm fucked up, we're still going to talk or I will handcuff her to me until she gives up."

"That's extreme."

"Not really."

"Good luck with that approach."

"Yup," Jason nodded.

* * *

The pain was what she came around to. It was relentless, but it was a numb fire compared to the storm of emotions she could feel beside her as she slowly opened her eyes and glanced at Jason.

"Ow," she muttered. "Calm down, or leave, you're giving me a headache," she grumbled as she slowly lifted a hand to her throbbing head. Stupid empathy.

"We need to talk," he stated.

"Hm?" she hummed.

"Marks?" he stated.

"Oh, I can't love so there's no point in talking about it," Raven mumbled as she tried to move her left hand only to find it clasped firmly in Jason's.

"That's bullshit and you know it," he warned her in a stern tone.

"I'm not talking about this," she decided.

"Too bad, we match," he stated.

"How'd you know!?" she gasped, he blinked.

"How'd you know?" he asked darkly as his eyes narrowed. The lights flickered from her emotions as she tried to pull away from him and the pain paralyzed her. "Rae?" he drawled.

"Few months," she admitted.

"And you didn't talk to me… why?" he drawled she sighed.

"You have a girlfriend, and I did not think it was important, and can I have something for the pain now!" she snapped, she was not on pain meds and she wasn't having this talk unless she was high or dead. High was apparently happening first.

"No, we're talking about this when you're sober."

"I will give you all this pain, I'm not in control of my powers when I'm this weak," she warned sweetly.

"You have perfect control, now talk," he snapped.

"Jason, you have a girlfriend! The only reason she doesn't fry me into ash and send me to the sun is because I'm not a threat to your relationship. Also, matching marks mean nothing! I'm from Azarath, and I'm a demon, being my match is not healthy for you."

"Rae," he sighed.

"Don't 'Rae' me, I am not a match. I'm not a pick. And I am not having this talk unless I am either high or dead, that way I don't have to suffer it. Now if the mark is all you care about leave." She looked away then. stupid human blood and soul marks. She would rather be stuck in hell than deal with soul marks. She was not a pick, for anyone, not even Garfield had been able to pick her. Raven sucked the life out of people and she didn't want Jason to come to resent her, as he would come to if he decided to pursue a relationship with her.

"I grew up wishing for one person to give a damn about me, for a mark, you have it and I know you care Raven," he warned lowly and he pulled her chin to him so she was looking at him. "You might convince the world you don't give a shit but I know you do. Now talk. Why not tell me about the mark?"

"Jason, leave it alone," she pleaded. She really didn't want to have this talk.

"Raven…" his tone low and dark and she sighed.

"I don't love. I don't do happy, sad, passion, mad, I can't. Not because I don't want to, but… they're dangerous. Every emotion I have is dangerous, it won't matter how much I'm loved, or what I mean to someone, I can't feel it or express it. Even if I want to, that's not fair to you when you deserve to be happy," she sighed. "I didn't tell you because you're happy with Kara and I'd kill you."

"You're not so bad," he shrugged.

She lifted her brow at him, the pain was now a raging storm in her.

"I'm a fucked up guy too," he pointed out.

"What are you proposing we be fucked up together?" she hummed.

"Yeah," he nodded. She gaped at him.

"Raven, I just want person, and you care so don't deny it," he warned.

"It's because I care that I insist we leave this alone and never speak of it," she warned.

"Too late, Kara and I have been done since yesterday when Dick spilled the beans on the marks, and you've been out for five days, a lot of perspective was given. Also, Cy sides with me," he said.

"Jason…"

"We're not anything, but will you be open to try?" he asked.

"Not right now, but… if you're suicidal enough to want me after a while, sure," Raven yawned, she was exhausted and wanted the pain meds.

She didn't notice his smile or the way his hand squeezed hers as she was finally given her pain meds. It wasn't much, but apparently it was enough for a start.


	33. Bonus: Calm in the Storm

**The Calm in the Storm…**

Damian had found drawing to be the most entertaining thing he did; especially since he was no longer required to draw what his tutors demanded of him. No, he was free to draw whatever he pleased; and art was truly the only class in his pathetic school which was worthy of his full attention.

This week's assignment was to draw his family.

He'd proceeded to draw Goliath, Titus, Batcow, Alfred (the cat) immediately. He loved his animals like they were his family, and he'd destroy anyone who threatened his pets. He put aside the drawing of Goliath though, it wouldn't do to blow his cover as Robin by turning that in. A quick pencil sketch of Titus sleeping with Alfred in a patch of sunlight in the Manor library was one to be turned in. And he drew Batcow grazing on the Manor lawn. All simple, easy sketches and he was satisfied with them.

Next, he moved to sketching Pennyworth, it was easy to corner the old man in the kitchen, and Damian spent an afternoon perfecting the sketch of Pennyworth baking. That evening he silently sat with his father in the study as his father worked on Wayne Enterprises and Damian sketched him. He was rather pleased with the results; his father was an excellent art subject to sketch and it had turned out well with the lighting of the study.

The next day he sketched Brown and Cain sparring before patrol; they were both in their civvies so it was rather easy to draw them. He liked the play of light and dark, and was careful not to smudge the charcoal as he worked. He showed it to his father before patrol and preened when his father praised him for his talent. Damian liked art, he loved it, he loved sketching, and painting, and more than that, he loved being good at it.

The following afternoon he sat in the school library working on a reluctant sketch of Drake. Drake was a part of the family according to Grayson, even if Damian and he did not get along. Still, the assignment was to draw the family, and Drake was his father's adopted son and that made him family. Damian drew Drake asleep in the library because he liked the lighting in the library and knew it by heart; so he didn't actually have to be there to draw Drake.

His next study was Grayson and Gordon, they were getting married in a month. He was pleased about the wedding, but he was also a bit uneasy with the wedding and what it could mean for him. However, Gordon would be family after the wedding, and she was already family, so he would include her in his sketches. It was an afternoon he knew they'd be at the park, when he ditched school and hid out in a tree to sketch Grayson and Gordon together. Grayson and Gordon were the couple who just oozed happiness, joy, and love, it was something he'd heard Jon say people wanted and envied. Damian just enjoyed being around them. It was kind of fun to sketch them, they were so… happy, it was a bit infectious as he sketched their smiles and enjoyed his afternoon out.

Mentally he ticked off the list of who his family was and was satisfied that he had everyone except his mother and grandfather, but after his death he wasn't overly keen on adding them to his family sketches. And he could not add the Titans, that would reveal his identity as Robin, and aside from Raven and Stone, he was not close to any of the others on the team.

At least he thought he had all the family until Todd recklessly came crashing into a warehouse he'd been trapped in, guns firing, and people screaming as the chaos which was Jason Todd ensued. Honestly! Damian had come here on a case, he'd been a little underprepared for the manpower this smuggling operation had but he had had everything completely under control! Then Todd just came barreling in with a wild laugh and reckless actions; it was infuriating to him. People would think he couldn't handle himself!

"I had everything completely under control!" he snapped as he helped Todd tie up the gunmen and smugglers.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get your cape in a twist, I'm only here to meet up with a little bird, baby bird," Todd dismissed as he walked down the docks.

"Since you're here I suppose I have to draw you as well, Hood," Damian growled a bit as he jogged with Todd.

"Huh?"

"Draw, it is an art assignment, I have to draw the family," Damian explained.

"Nope, no need, we aren't family, I'm here for a different bird," Todd quickly said uncomfortably.

"I will pass this assignment, and you're family! Father would be displeased if I did not draw you as well," Damian hissed.

"I don't give a shit what the old man wants or likes or what pleases him! No. I am not here for Bat family time!" Todd growled lowly.

"But I have to draw the family," Damian persisted. He was still going to draw Todd, now that he was here, but truthfully Damian was not as familiar with Todd's face and did not wish to mess it up. Failure was not an option.

"Nope, gotta go, see you later baby bird," Todd shouted as he took an escape to the rooftops. Damian scowled a bit but he was not deterred. He would have a portrait of Todd for his assignment, he was not failing!

Damian spoke to Gordon about using her cameras to track down Todd; it wouldn't be easy but he was too tired to try to do it himself tonight. Besides, he had to get up tomorrow for school, though he found the institution pointless and useless, his father, Grayson and Pennyworth refused to let him drop it entirely. Also, he was surrounded by idiots at that institute, and it was poorly kept; even for a prestigious school it was poorly kept.

He made it through his literature class before he received a text from Gordon saying Todd was in New York City.

* * *

Jason had come stateside tracking a child smuggling ring, run out of Slovakia. He'd been systematically tearing it all down, which had had him moving all over Europe, but in his pursuit, he was now stateside, not a thrilling thought because he'd have to deal with Bats. However, a beautiful little bird he hadn't seen in a long while went to school at NYU, and Jason was more than happy to spend time with that Titan, especially since it'd be Jason Todd and Rachel Roth hanging out and no one would be following her about.

The problems with being dead and dating a famed Titan… paparazzi. Raven handled it all with far more grace than he could, also she was 'the boring Titan' according to the paparazzi. To him she was anything but boring, however he was happy that his girlfriend did not attract all the media attention her fellow Titans did. Jason was pretty sure it was because of the media that secret identities were almost shot to hell; well, his barely concealed secret identity was almost destroyed already, but to hell with it, he was dead! DEAD! Oh all the freedom being dead brought him!

But also, they'd been smart about how they had set this up so they could have civilian lives. And aside from Victor, no one knew Raven's secret identity, she'd been smart about never giving it to the Titans, or registering it with the League, so Rachel Roth was just Rachel Roth. A twenty something student at NYU who was trying to become a writer, and was getting a degree in literature. She made a quiet living as a freelance writer, and had a boyfriend who owned this apartment complex; legally too, (he even had one of his legitimate aliases on the lease agreement, Jason T. Peters), he'd even bought several other buildings around the city and maintained them well when he was here, other than that, everyone thought he was a traveling businessman. It was so mundane and boring that he knew no one ever look at Rachel Roth and see the powerful Titan Raven. It was brilliant.

Getting off the subway in Brooklyn he pulled out his cell as he dialed a number he had long since memorized as he walked towards their civilian apartment.

"Hello?" her husky voice answered and he grinned.

"Miss me little bird?"

"I saw all the destruction you brought with you to Gotham," she said monotonously, but he heard the lilt of amusement in her tone.

"Might as well make an entrance," he smirked as he walked through the crowd.

"So, I, and the entire east coast, can see," she mused.

"Only Red's wanted, Jason's in the clear," he pointed out. He knew full well that only the Assassins and Bats knew who he was under the hood. The FBI, CIA, DIA, NSA, Homeland, KGB, Mossad, Interpol, A.R.G.U.S., and a bunch of other agencies he couldn't bother to remember, all still had no clue that Jason Todd was alive, and he was aiming to keep it that way.

"Are you coming over?" she hummed.

"Well, you're the empath, you tell me," he mused as he started pulling out the keys to the apartment building they were living in.

"I can only feel that you're close, in the city everything is askew," she huffed.

"Aw, poor princess, your senses over stimulated?" he asked.

"Not right now, the shields are up," she countered. He shook his head at her missing what he was asking but decided in about five minutes he could live with it.

"Well, love, I'm here, so open the door?" he asked when he stopped at apartment 4C. The line went dead and he heard Raven scrambling behind the door, he slipped his phone in his pocket as he listened to the deadbolts he'd installed the last time he'd been here flip open before the door was open and his arms were full of Raven.

"I missed you!" she stated, he stumbled into their apartment, kicking the door shut as her magic filled the apartment, all the lights were brightening as a few things rattled.

"You just missed my waffles," he teased as he spun her around so her back was pressed up against the door, deftly he locked it for her as his mouth landed on hers' before she could counter his claim. Good Fucking God He'd Missed Her! She tasted of jasmine tea, shadows, and that dark flavor which was Raven, and he couldn't get enough of it as his hand dove into her hair and he kept her secured around him. Pulling away he was gasping for air as he lightly kissed his way down her throat.

"Welcome home," she whispered. He smiled against her skin because he felt like he was home as he pulled her away from the door and carried her straight to the bedroom.

It was a few hours later he was in sweats and in the kitchen as he cooked up a lunch for him and Raven and she was working on homework.

"I'm thinking about renovating the bathroom," he said suddenly.

"You said the kitchen was the last renovation," she protested as she looked up at him from where she was working on the island.

"I know, but I really hate that bathroom," he admitted.

"You cannot go about tearing up this entire apartment just because you don't like the bathroom," she stated flatly.

"Come on Rae," he pleaded as he continued to work on their lunches.

"It took four months to do the kitchen," she sighed.

"It won't be that long this time, I'm staying quiet for a few weeks, letting the heat in Gotham die down before I move," he promised.

"Fine, if you do this it has to be done before you leave, I'm not living without a bathroom," she warned coldly.

"You're going to love it, little bird," he promised as he served up lunch and walked around the island to kiss her brow and see what she was reading.

* * *

Damian stood outside of an apartment complex and frowned as he looked over the tenant names on the buzzers. There was no obvious alias of Todd's here, which was a bit vexing because he'd memorized the known aliases his father had listed for Todd. Pulling out his phone he dialed Gordon's number. He was not failing this assignment and he couldn't break into this apartment in broad daylight; father would be furious and Damian did not particularly want to go to juvie.

"Hello?"

"Are you certain Todd went in this building?" Damian barked out.

"He even pulled out a key according to the footage I can see," Gordon sighed.

"Well, his name is not on the tenants listed on this buzzer!" he hissed. He really just wanted to break in there and find Todd and make him sit still for a portrait. Damian would draw his whole family as the assignment required; this was the one class he actually liked and he intended to keep his A+ in it!

"Hold on," Gordon started typing on the other end of the line. Damian stood there waiting impatiently, amazed that no one had come in or out of the building so he could slip in. Seriously! This was New York! The busiest city in the world! And no one had come in or out at all!

"The building is owned by one Jason T. Peters, twenty-five, go figure," Gordon sighed.

"What?"

"He made a legitimate identity for this one, it's why it hasn't popped up, according to records Jason Peters is the owner of about ten properties all around New York, wow, they're actually nice. And he's been buying up properties in the warehouse districts and refurbishing them, seems legit, even for Jason," Gordon observed offhandedly.

"Gordon, which apartment is he in!" Damian snapped.

"According to this, he lives in 4C," Gordon stated.

"That is a Rachel Roth's apartment, who is she?" Damian demanded.

"Listed as a live in for two and a half years now, Rachel Roth is a student at NYU, literature major, and freelance writer, current ID lists her as twenty-two, I'm not finding much on her," Gordon said.

"You have been useful," he said and hung up as he stepped up to the buzzer and pressed the intercom system on, picking a name of what sounded like an old lady. No response, he pressed again.

"Hello?" a sweet old voice replied.

"I'm selling candies for my school are you interested," he replied in the innocent child tone he'd been parroting off of Jon, or at least trying too. Thinking of Jon he should have brought him along so he had reinforcements on the selling candies idea.

"Come right on up, I'll just get my check book!" she said sweetly before the door was buzzed open. Damian slipped in then. It was a nice building he noticed as he jogged up the stairs. Quiet. Making it up to the fourth floor he walked down the hall until he came to a corner apartment, 4C.

Stupid Todd, making him track him down! After Damian got that portrait done he was going to kick Todd's ass and then proceed to tell his harlot all the horrible things Todd did on his off time.

Knocking he waited a beat before he heard the locks flipping and a security bar flicking and then the door was opened.

Lilac orbs blinked, and he just gaped.

"Raven!?" he sputtered.

"Damian!?" she grabbed him and yanked him into the apartment before she shut the door and locked it up again.

"Who was it?" Todd called appearing out of a different room toweling his hair and then glaring at him, Damian was just too flabbergasted to do anything more than stare at his Team Captain on the Titans, and Todd.

"Uh…" Raven just looked too stunned to answer, and Damian couldn't seem to make his voice work.

"What the hell!?" Todd snapped. "Who brought you here? What the fuck do you want? Does Bruce know you're here? And how the hell did you find me!?"

"I am here because I need your stupid face for my art project!" Damian snapped; horrified at how he had simplified his vocabulary because he was shocked that Raven and Todd were in a room together. Clearly Jon's childish ways were rubbing off on him, Damian was not amused.

"I said no!" Todd shouted as he stepped forward.

"Jason," Raven was suddenly between him and Todd, and Damian saw his eyes glowing green faintly. "He's not here as a Bat."

That had Todd growling as he stalked away and Raven turned on him. Damian fidgeted a bit then when the door slammed and he was in the room with Raven alone.

"Tea?" she offered.

"That would be appreciated," he decided as he followed her to the open kitchen in the corner and took a seat at the island bar.

"This art project, what is it?" Raven asked as she filled up a tea pot and pulled out mugs before setting it on the stove.

"I was assigned to do family portraits, I have so far completed the assignment until Todd was in town, I will not fail this assignment," he stated fiercely.

"Sounds like you're persistent about this if Jason told you no last night," Raven said as she leaned on the counter.

"I will admit that I was not expecting him to be so… uncooperative," Damian said carefully. He was speaking to a friend and his Team Captain at the Titans, he did not want to insult her.

"He's very stubborn," Raven said with a soft smile.

"I was not expecting you to be here, I was expecting to deal with some flouncing blonde bimbo with how Todd hits on Supergirl," Damian admitted honestly.

"I figured," Raven said humorlessly.

"I do not mean to insinuate that you're a flouncing bimbo," Damian quickly tried to amend.

* * *

This morning Raven had not been expecting her boyfriend of three and a half years to come home with explosions and media covering the latest in Red Hood busts. She had been pleasantly surprised by his call and even more thrilled that he had shown up outside their door after being gone for three and a half months. And she'd been more than enthusiastic about taking a day off from the world to have catch up sex with the boyfriend she'd only seen glimpses of on the news or had phone calls from. However today seemed insistent on surprising her again as she had opened the door to the youngest member of her Team in the Titans, and found him gawking like a fish out of water as he stared at her and Jason. Jason had been furious, Raven could even hazard a guess at why he was so furious, she was kind of mad too. But the moment she had sensed the bloodlust and rage on him and seen his eyes starting to pick up that green tint from the Lazarus Pit she had intervened.

He was currently beating on his punching bag set up in the corner of their guest room, she could feel his fury as he attacked the punching bag. And she could sense Damian's embarrassment, uncertainty, and determination as he sat across from her blundering over his words. It would have been funny had she not been angry about being found out this way, Jason and she had been moving at their own pace and she figured when he was ready he'd tell his family and she'd tell her friends; when they were ready! Until then they wanted to keep it quiet; only Victor knew. She guessed it was too late to be mad about being found out though.

This was not how she had planned it to happen.

"Damian, I understand," she assured the embarrassed young teen then.

"I'm sorry," he hesitantly looked around the apartment and she turned when her kettle started singing as she continued making the tea. She set a cup of it in front of Damian before she moved to the guest room where Jason was working out his fury.

"He shouldn't be here," Jason growled lowly.

"I know, when you have calmed down, way down, drink this and join us, I'm going to talk to him for a bit, and Jason," she said as she set the tea on the desk and reached for the door. "Just do the portrait, it'll go smoother if you just give him what he wants and then he's gone."

She left him there before he could argue with her.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school, Damian?" she asked as she walked back to the kitchen then and made her own cup.

"I do not believe that the other class require my presence to function, and they cannot teach me something new," he shrugged. "You're Rachel Roth?"

"Yes," Raven acknowledge as she closed her note books and laptop as she gave Damian her undivided attention and so he couldn't snoop on her school work.

"I was unaware that you even had a civilian identity," he said.

"I didn't tell anyone about it, I wanted it private," she replied.

"Why?"

"I did not want Zatanna or the League monitoring my every breath, I am not a monster nor am I a criminal so I should not be treated as such, I tolerate that treatment when I work with the League because demons scare people. Also, I just wanted to be human and not have sorcerers and magicians and the League just popping up on my door step," she admitted. Well, Victor came around for Sunday games and dinner if there wasn't a mission, but that was family. Jason hadn't wanted to get involved with his family, but she'd slowly been coaxing him in that direction, she knew he needed to have a good relationship with his family.

"You're not upset with my arrival?" Damian quickly asked his fear and uncertainty rolling off him even if his voice was indifferent.

"I'm mad, yes, but I'm happy to see you," she clarified.

"Why?"

"I'm mad because I respect your privacy and I wished to have mine respected in return, but I'm happy to see you Damian," she explained.

"I see," he nodded briskly. "How long have you and Todd…?" he looked at a lost then.

"Friends, dating, sleeping together, living together?" she filled in coldly.

"Yes."

"Five years, three and a half years, three years, two and a half years," she answered swiftly and smirked into her tea as the young teen's face reddened.

"You did not need to tell him that," Jason told her as he emerged from the room.

"I felt it was necessary rather than endure his interrogation and my tripping on answers," she said as she took the tea cup from Jason, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. He was a tactile person with those he loved, but this was different, and Raven knew it. Jason was keeping her close so he didn't do something he'd regret, she would use her empathy on him with his permission. He kissed the top of her head, Raven felt him tremble a bit as she decided to use her empathy to calm and sooth him.

"So what do you want, twerp?" her boyfriend demanded. The gangly young teen scowled a bit and bristled but Raven lifted a brow on him.

"I need a portrait," he answered. "You can do it with Raven if you want."

"Me?" Raven blinked, Jason's arm tightened as she lay an arm over his. He was too tense.

"I have come to consider you family as well, but was not going to do a portrait of the Titans so as not to reveal my identity as Robin," Damian filled in.

"Please," Jason whispered.

"Fine, where do you want us?" Raven asked.

"Wherever is fine, live study so do what you normally do," Damian said.

"I'm cooking," Jason said suddenly, Raven just nodded to him as he pulled away then. Cooking was how he soothed himself, she just enjoyed the delicious food.

"Since you're here Damian, stay for dinner, and the night, I'll take you home tomorrow," Raven said.

"Father will worry," Damian pointed out.

"I'm calling him now, and shoes off," Raven said as she walked to the bedroom to find her Titans phone. This might be a long night but she was not having Damian; trained assassin or not; riding the train at night. Bruce would kill her if she let that happen.

* * *

Once Todd seemed to relax as he cooked without talking, the evening went rather smoothly. Raven sat at the counter doing work on her laptop and he had claimed their sofa which had a good view of the kitchen. He was so baffled with them being together that he couldn't figure out how they could have met. And for five years they'd been friends; he'd been with the Titans for five years! It was so peculiar. And more bizarre, no one had ever noticed. At least, no one in the Wayne family had; he knew if Grayson had such information that he would not stop talking about it until all of the Titans and the League knew. And truthfully, Damian had thought Todd had something going with Supergirl, Kara Danvers.

It appeared he was wrong, so was Jon though, which made Damian feel a bit better about having missed this relationship.

"Raven, Rae, sunshine, love, come on, save and close out the school work," Todd coaxed and Damian smirked as Raven jolted.

"Smells delicious," she stretched.

"Almost as good as Pennyworth's," Damian sniped.

"It'd better, it's his recipe," Todd snapped.

"You should be a vegetarian," Damian commented as he sat at the table in the corner with Raven who was using her magic to set the table and bring the dishes over.

"Just be happy that I made you a vegetarian dinner," Todd growled.

"No fighting at dinner, and Damian we respect that you don't eat meat, but respect that we do," Raven said firmly as she started serving.

"Very well," Damian surrendered, Raven had been using that argument since before he'd come to the Tower, and Grayson assured him that there'd be no winning against her.

"Can we send him home now?" Todd asked Raven.

"He's staying the night," Raven stated.

"I'm certain father would be fine with me taking the train to Gotham, it's only an hours ride," Damian pointed out.

"Damian, until you're eighteen you are not riding the train from New York to Gotham; assassin trained or not, at night, I will send you to another dimension before I let you," Raven stated.

"B could come get him," Todd stated.

"He's staying the night, Bruce has already agreed to it," Raven said firmly. "We have a couch, and he can use it."

"The couch," Damian choked.

"The guest room is an office, and since the only visitor we have does not stay the night there's no guest bed," Raven shrugged.

"He could sleep on the floor," Todd muttered.

"If you're not careful you might end up sleeping on the floor," Raven warned Todd. Todd glared at her but Raven seemed rather unaffected by this. Damian just decided looking at them that if Grayson and Gordon were happiness for couples, Todd and Raven were opposites.

"Not likely to happen," Jason smirked at her.

"With how you're going it's a possibility," Raven countered.

"Do you have everything you want demon spawn?" Todd asked.

"Yes, I do," he assured them as he ate the potatoes; not that he'd ever tell Pennyworth or Todd this, but these might be better than Pennyworth's.

"And this was so fucking important that you stalked me… why?" Todd demanded.

"Because I will not fail my art assignment," Damian snapped.

"Please tell me that the teacher's sexy hot or something and not because you're a type A personality Wayne," Todd pleaded. Raven smacked Todd up the back of the head then. "Hey! Legitimate question since he stalked me! The only reason I'd have stalk Dick was to impress Donna before I died, and I was his age at the time!"

Raven gave him a bland stare.

Damian frowned.

"No, I did not do this because Mrs. Thompson is hot," Damian answered; and she was a very beautiful woman.

"Great, Rae, we might be moving," Todd warned her.

"We're not moving!" Raven snapped.

"And Bats will be here in a fortnight," he warned her.

"You're just sounding paranoid and ridiculous, and you are going to have to deal with them eventually," Raven stated flatly.

"Not until I'm dead!" Todd countered.

"Only Oracle knows where I am," Damian pointed out. Now Raven frowned.

"You were saying about that move?" she asked.

"Glad you see it my way, how do you feel about the west coast?"

"You two are being utterly ridiculous," Damian stated.

"Look kid, I put a lot of work into staying the hell out of B's hair, and the entire family for that matter, and I do occasionally work in Gotham, but I have moved on and away and I don't want them stalking me," Todd stated.

"Father doesn't stalk us, he just looks after us," Damian defended.

"Keep telling yourself that," Todd snorted.

"Completely ridiculous," Damian muttered.

"So, Damian, how is everything going for school and Robin?" Raven asked slicing off the conversation and he found himself slowly drawn into this conversation. It was after dinner when Raven and Todd were doing dishes that he saw something he didn't think possible. They played, doing dishes and they were having a water war. After that Raven helped him turn the sofa into a bed before she wished him a good night and left him.

Damian looked at his drawings of Raven and Todd here and he just wondered if it was really worth sharing it when they were so happy being left alone. However, he refused to fail his assignment, perhaps he would speak with Grayson and father about this relationship and what Todd was doing here in New York. Yawning he let sleep take hold of him as for the first time in his memorable life he went to bed before ten o'clock.

New York was rather noisy outside the window but he still felt safe enough to sleep here.

* * *

Jason and she were in bed, Jason was reading his newest novel, and she was reading over a spell book she was trying to figure out.

"I'll take him home in the morning," Raven said calmly.

"You could have just teleported him away," Jason pointed out.

"Jason, I'm tired, and I don't particularly have the energy to deal with Dick, Tim, Bruce, and Damian all at once at the moment," she yawned.

"Well, we'd be more tired if the demon spawn hadn't shown up," he murmured as he set her book aside and his book was on his nightstand. She sighed as his lips were pressed to her pulse.

"You're shameless," she muttered.

"I was deprived of sex for three and a half months, and I missed you," he murmured against her collarbone.

"Missed you too," she murmured as she tugged on his hair, bringing his mouth to hers.

* * *

Jason stared at Raven as she slept soundly beside him and he felt content. Restless; he was still in a different time zone, but he felt content as he moved her black hair aside and studied her face quietly. The woman was a Queen, an angel, and his God's send. He could remember when she'd found him and then snuck him into the Tower to help him, her and Victor would have gotten in so much shit if Dick or Bruce knew about that.

However, she had saved him, and Victor had helped him.

Rolling out of bed he pulled on his discarded sleep pants before padding out of their room. The demon brat was sleeping on the couch; it was weird having him there, but the brat was sound asleep; feet hanging off the couch too. Silently he moved to his kitchen again as he pulled out some orange juice and quietly poured it as he opened his book and sat in the nook reading by the city's light.

Leaving Gotham was the best fucking choice he'd ever made, and he would happily never look back on this decision. Jason read until dawn, then his eyes flicked up when his girlfriend stumbled out of their room wearing his red t-shirt, and yoga pants.

"Morning," she mumbled as she came over to the reading nook he'd built her when he'd first started renovating buildings. She crawled onto his lap and curled up against his chest, she was sound asleep in a second again, he smirked as he let his head fall back and rest against the window sill and he shut his eyes for a moment.

* * *

Damian sketched them like that this morning, he did it for a few hours before his phone rang and he saw his father's number. Both Raven and Todd bolted up when his phone's ringtone pierced the air looking wild.

"Morning father," Damian answered, his irritation at having the moment he had been enjoying sketching ruined. They hadn't moved; for three hours! He'd woken up when Raven had come stumbling out of the room at five, and it was now eight, neither she nor Todd have moved at all; and if he hadn't known better he'd have thought them both to be dead. Todd groaned, Raven sighed, and Damian tuned them out.

"You're still with Raven I presume," his father stated.

"You are tracking my phone, and yes," he stated. "I will be home before noon."

"Keep me apprised," was all his father said before hanging up.

"Now we have to fucking move," Todd muttered.

"Food," Raven ordered with a yawn.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, waffles, you kid?" Todd yawned as he stood.

"I do not like waffles," Damian stated.

"Well you're going to fucking love mine and eat them all then you and sunshine are heading to Gotham," Todd stated.

"Father would be pleased to see you, Todd," Damian persisted. His father always looked so wistful when Todd showed up and then vanished, or when Pennyworth received a text or email or call from Todd. Father was wistful whenever Todd came up or anyone saw or heard from him.

"Don't give a shit," Todd snapped.

"Waffles," Raven muttered.

"Coffee," Todd yawned.

"On it," Raven stretched and Damian sat at the island as they worked in silence. Breakfast was served swiftly and devoured. He took Raven up on the offer to shower, and he tried not to cringe about how out of place the bathroom was to the rest of the apartment. The rest of the apartment was a mix between open-vintage-light-classic and then there was this bathroom. Stepping out of the bathroom he looked at the offered clothes tossed on the bed, he wasn't as tall as Todd; yet, but he wanted the clean shirt.

Looking around the room he noticed that it was practically a library, almost all the walls were covered in shelves, the shelves were even built around the windows, it was rather homey though. Once dressed he walked out of their room to see Raven and Todd both reading, neither seemed inclined to move.

"I'll grab a shower then we'll go," Raven said when he opened his mouth to say his thanks for letting him stay the night. He sighed in irritation knowing there'd been no escaping Raven and dropped in a chair as he scowled at Todd, who didn't seem to care.

"Your bathroom is shitty," he stated.

"I know, next project unless I'm moving," Todd said.

"The apartment is nice," Damian observed.

"Thanks, restored it myself," Todd dismissed and Damian blinked at that. Todd didn't speak further and Damian sighed as he was now reduced to sketching as he waited for Raven to emerge. She appeared shortly, Todd looked up as she walked over to him.

"I'll be back later, don't do something rash, love you," she said.

"Love you little bird," Jason replied.

Damian looked away when she kissed Todd before he grabbed his bag and followed Raven out of the apartment. They walked in silence all the way to the subway and then rode in silence. He was feeling a bit uncomfortable as he fidgeted in his seat.

"What?" she asked when they exited the subway then.

"Nothing," he lied.

"Damian, I'm an empath, and if Jason can't lie to me what makes you think you can?"

"I just did not expect you and Jason to be… together," he decided.

"Ah, we don't either."

"Can I ask how?"

"I found him in the Lazarus Pit madness, I thought he was a demon, I found him in a room of dead bodies; the League of Assassins was after him, he'd destroyed the assassins, and was raving mad. I took him back to the Tower, kept him safe, and when he wasn't lost in the madness I offered to help him with it," she shrugged.

"Why did you never tell father?"

"Because Jason asked me not to, and that is what you do for friends, Damian. You help them, and I do not think that at that time Bruce or any of you, would have been much help for him, and afterwards he hasn't wanted to mend fences," Raven stated as she bought them tickets to Gotham, hers was a round trip though. "I've been pushing him towards it, slowly."

"Are you two… happy?" Damian asked. He knew that was a big thing with couples, being happy. Grayson and Gordon were always happy, Kori and Harper too, but he also knew that not all couples were happy; like his mother and father.

"We work at it, but yes," she said.

"Then I am pleased for you," he decided.

"Really?" Raven asked skeptically.

"You are perhaps my dearest friend, aside from Jon, but he's an imbecile, I find Todd to be tolerable, a simpleton, but tolerable," Damian decided. Truthfully he though Todd to be exceedingly resourceful and cunning but there was no way he was ever going to say that; he'd sooner chop his tongue out than say that.

"And what am I?" Raven asked, her monotone was amused.

"You are actually intelligent, I find your company most enjoyable," he assured her as they walked onto the commuter train.

"I'll keep that in mind," Raven said.

"What are you studying," he asked and he spent the next fourty-five minutes talking to Raven about literature. She said Todd loved it, Damian found that easy to believe since Todd's old room was crammed full of books. It was only as they neared the Manor that Raven seemed nervous until he pressed in the code for the gate; having not taken a bike but rather the subway when he'd ditched school the other day.

"Master Damian, most irresponsible of you to run off like that, from school no less," Pennyworth scolded upon opening the door. Damian internally winced; he hated it the most when Pennyworth guilted him about this. "Good afternoon to you, Miss Raven."

"It's nice to see you Alfred, now I should be…," Raven started.

"Master Bruce, Miss Gordon, and Master Dick are awaiting you and Master Damian in the study," Pennyworth interrupted.

"…going. Fuck," Raven sighed in defeat.

"That is no way for a lady to speak, Miss Raven," Alfred stated.

"I'm sure by now all of you have figured out who I am living with so you can blame him for my bad language and bad habits," Raven muttered as Damian and she walked through the Manor for his father's study. It was funny to see the Titan's indomitable Raven brought down by Pennyworth, normally Raven was like Pennyworth on the Titans, she managed to knock them all down and have manners. Grayson may have been the mother hen of the Titans, but Raven was the parent, and she wielded her power over them how Pennyworth wielded his, with an iron fist and class. Damian noticed how everyone was just outside the study but Raven glared at them and they scattered; not Cain though, Cain held her grown until they were in the study.

"Father, Grayson, Gordon," Damian greeted.

"Morning," Raven acknowledged.

"Damian, Raven," his father started but Grayson cut him off.

* * *

"When were you going to tell us about Jason!? Didn't you think we had the right to know about you and him!? And seriously Rae! How irresponsible are you that you just let him do whatever the hell he wants even though he's dating a Titan!? Just wait until Vic finds out about this!" Dick started and Damian opened his mouth to counter when she cut them all off. She had always expected this but dealing with it without Jason there to add fuel to the proverbial fire was something she hadn't expected. So she'd cut all of the questions off and explain before Dick was raving mad and scared.

"I did not tell you about Jason because he asked me not to, and I am his friend first, and if any of you had asked me not to tell Batman something I wouldn't breath a word of it. Yes, I do think you had a right to know about him, not about us because that is not your business unless he wants it to be your business. And when the hell has anyone ever been able to make Jason do anything!? Controlling him or demanding anything of him is impossible! It's like trying to control a hurricane! He's going to do whatever he deems necessary to get his jobs done and you can either stand by that or get out of his way. I am unable to reign him in, on anything, from renovating the bathroom to charging into a warehouse of goons with guns, explosives, and outnumber him fifty to one, head first than you were! It's preposterous to think I could or that I would!

"Also, no one knew we were dating aside from Victor, so go ahead and have that lovely chat with Vic, he'll be happy to finally have someone to bitch about Jason to, finally, so our dating doesn't affect the Titan's image. Also, Victor approved, just so you know, Jason even asked him permission to date me, which is very sweet; and unnecessary, but sweet all the same and while Victor does not always like Jason, he trusts him, which should tell you a lot," Raven said evenly.

"Jason T. Peters," Barbra started and Raven sighed.

"He wanted to be legitimate for a change, Vic and I helped him set that identity up, with back long and papers to prove him as alive, the same time I arranged my own official identity," Raven sighed.

"I would like a moment with Raven, alone," Bruce said.

"Father!" Damian protested.

"Very well," Raven nodded and she watched as the other three occupants left, she saw Alfred shut the doors behind them and she sighed as she looked into the sharp blue eyes of Bruce Wayne. They made her feel as if she were staring into the eyes of a dangerous predator, a man who could easily cut her down and destroy her and walk away as if it were nothing. Jason had this very look in his eyes too, so she held her ground.

"How is he?" Bruce asked softly. The question threw her off guard as she blinked impassively at him before carefully answering him.

"He has good days and bad days," she admitted. She wasn't going to lie to her boyfriend's father.

"Is he… happy?"

"He's very happy, especially when he's got free range to rip apart our apartment and renovate it how he wants," Raven admitted. Projects kept Jason calm, having things to tinker with or do with his hands kept him calm, and busy. "He's decided to gut our bathroom, and he's probably started on that while I came here with Damian."

"Really?" Bruce asked, looking and acting impassive but she felt his amusement rolling off him.

"Yes, it took him four months to do the kitchen, he worked on it around jobs, it's a good thing I do not cook else I'd have gone mad and murdered him for the mess he left," Raven said with a bit of a smile.

"I do not approve of you keeping the relationship a secret," Bruce said sternly.

"I know," she acknowledged.

"And I do not approve of my son dating an interdimensional demon's daughter," Bruce continued.

She nodded at that one; remembering the fights Dick and Bruce had about meta-humans when Dick had been dating Kori.

"I know," she admitted softly. "Jason even knows you don't approve and how you feel about relationships between your sons and metas, and I'm certain that in the beginning of this relationship he was hanging around me as an act of defiance to you and what you stand for. But understand this, Bruce, while I adore all of your sons and daughters, and consider them dear friends who I would do just about anything for, I love Jason and I will do anything for him. He doesn't ask for much, he's been quiet about what he wants in this relationship, and he's been good to me, but should he ever ask anything of me I will do everything I can to give it to him. I am not here to seek your approval, for I do not need it. I came here today to tell you that I love your son and that I am trying to bring Jason home to you and your family. He needs you, he doesn't act like it and he doesn't ever say anything about it, but he misses you, all of you, he just doesn't want to let you down."

"Could you possibly get him to come to the Manor for a dinner?" Bruce asked her.

"No, but send Alfred over, he'll do anything Alfred asks," Raven stated. Bruce's lips quirked a bit and she smiled at him.

"He's a good man Bruce, and you might not like how he does the job, and you will probably never agree on how to go about the job, but he's a good man. And he's been trying to stick to your no killing rule as a way to appease you, if you can see he's trying, I'm certain he'll see you trying and he'll come home," Raven said.

"I see."

"Damian was a delightful guest, he's growing into a fine young man, now I have to go home and make certain you son hasn't destroyed the apartment with his starting of renovations on the bathroom, he likes gutting the rooms the most," Raven sighed.

"Thank you Raven," Bruce said as she reached the doors. She paused before she would leave.

"A word of advice, don't crowd him, he'll bolt if he's crowded," Raven warned and then she walked out of the study. She ignored the gaggle of Wayne children as she made her way out the Manor.

"You should stop by Alfred, he might come to a dinner if you invite him," Raven mused as she reached the front door.

"I will take that under advisement, Miss Raven," Alfred mused. "I have called you a cab to the station."

"Thank you," Raven smiled as she left the Manor and got in the cab. So… that wasn't what she was expecting. Now she was hoping her apartment was in one piece when she returned home. She knew Jason well enough to know he was agitated and his agitation lead to three things: trouble or chain smoking or destroying something. She was betting all three to have occurred in her absence.

* * *

Bruce sighed, he'd never been particularly good at being a father for Jason. It was only after Jason's death that he realized Jason had needed a father and not Batman.

Now, his second son was twenty-five, and dating a demon who loved him. It was baffling to Bruce, he did not like the idea of his sons dating meta-humans for the simple fact of he didn't want them hurt or killed. But the young empath hadn't seemed to care about his opinion on the matter before she had cut down every argument he had to get her away from his son and walked away. Now he was leaning against his desk startled at the audacity of the young woman and bemused at how she had stood by his son.

"Father," he looked at Damian then. "I think you would like to see these," Damian presented his sketchbook then and Bruce opened it.

He smirked at the first image of Raven and Jason in a kitchen, at first glance they were strangers who never interacted. The second image was of a meal, Raven whacking Jason upside the back of his head, and Damian had even drawn himself in the image. Which was an amusing first. The third image was of Raven and Jason, they were doing the dishes. But it was the final image which had Bruce just staring blankly at his son's drawing.

The demoness was curled up in his son's lap, and Jason looked like he was in heaven. They were both asleep and Damian's drawing depicted the city outside the window.

"Raven is my friend, but she makes Todd happy, and he makes her happy," Damian said coldly. "Raven said they work at their relationship."

"Damian it's more complicated than that," Bruce sighed.

"Well, if these drawings are anything to go by I'd say Jason's happy," Dick suddenly announced and Bruce had to agree. Damian only drew reality so these drawings were as good as photos, and they depicted a happy Jason. A Jason that Bruce had thought dead and buried, and yet he was sitting right there with a small woman and a phantom smile on his lips.

"That one is for us," Dick decided as he plucked the sketchbook out of his hands. Damian didn't even protest when Dick tore out the last drawing. "There, the rest you can use for school; stalker. I'm going to make a copy of this and send it to Vic and Raven."

Bruce watched as his eldest walked out with his fiancé and he looked at his youngest then.

"Raven's family now father, she's even a bird," Damian smirked.

"What?"

"Jason calls her little bird, she's family now," Damian decided. Bruce was just dumbstruck and then he smiled; all the kids had nicknamed themselves over the years with bird being a part of the name, it was a part of the family. Well, he could learn to tolerate it if the rest accepted it.

And just maybe Raven would lure his wayward son back home.

* * *

Jason looked up when his girlfriend walked into the apartment, he was working on ordering a dumpster and shoot for his gut job, and reflexively he smiled in relief at her arrival.

"Tomorrow's great," he agreed and hung up before she walked up to him to stand toe to toe, her head tilted back and he saw her stubbornness.

"Your family is a pain in the ass!" she stated flatly. He laughed then.

"Bruce doesn't approve of our relationship, I get he doesn't like metas, and a demon is probably way worse in his book, Dick was raving but happy for you, and the rest of them are nosey and evesdropped the entire time!" she snapped.

"You knew this," Jason pointed out as he wrapped an arm around her.

"I know, I just… I was not expecting the bathroom to be still in one piece," she trailed off as she stared at it.

"I called Victor he's coming over to help me with the heavy shit, but he's also got a few design plans," Jason said.

"Huh, I'm just relieved to see it in one piece," Raven admitted. "Oh, and you should know Bruce is likely to be sending Alfred here to drag you to a family dinner."

"What?"

"You're going," Raven dismissed as she turned in on him and levitated so she was eye level with him.

"I am?"

"Yes, and I'll wear that thing, the black one," she promised. He lifted his brows in interest then.

"The lace or the silk?"

"The silk? I can even wear red if you prefer," she promised.

"You don't own a red one," he pointed out.

"No I don't, but Kori wants to go shopping later this week to catch up and I agreed," she said as her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"In that case, I'll consider it," he murmured as he slowly started back her into a wall, hooking her legs around his waist.

"You're going," she said firmly.

"Maybe," he agreed as he leaned forward.

"Jason?"

"Bat family does not get to fuck up the fact I have been deprived of sex for three and a half months, and a few hours does not make up for being away," he said seriously.

"Is sex all you think about!?" she asked when his mouth was a breath away.

"No, but it's a good portion of what I've been thinking about lately," he smiled. "That and renovating the bathroom, upping the security so the Bats can't just waltz in, and if I could possibly steal the batmobile as retribute for the demon spawn stalking me home and Oracle hacking surrounding security to spy on me now. But mostly sex."

"You're impossible!" she sighed in exasperation.

"But you love me anyway," he pointed out.

"I do," she sighed and he kissed her hard. He loved her, he really did, that was his last thought before she kissed him back and all thoughts disappeared.


End file.
